Students study physics at theme park

Quast, a pre-Medicine student of Clarks, Nebraska, will graduate in 2025.

“It was a different way to experience physics in real life. I guess I didn't realize how much physics played into the rides. The entire theme park is planned out according to physics. They know exactly how big the rides need to be to get the speeds they want. All the planning that goes into it from structural engineers was amazing. There's a lot of fun career options if you're super into physics,” she said.

Quast enjoyed the group’s trip to the beach because Keithly had just reviewed waves in class.

“There were some pretty big waves. You can see them and feel them. There were transverse and longitudinal waves. You see the wave on top and also feel the water underneath. It's very neat because, as someone who had never been to the beach before, I could actually see how it works,” Quast said.

The students took small sensors on the rides that measured force and heart rate.

“In class, we go over problems like this and you can look at the pictures, but when you're there on the rides, you feel multiple forces because you're held down and back at the same time. I think it was a really good experience. We actually got to see things in action that we've been learning all year, which made a big difference,” Quast said.

The trip to the ocean was a first-time experience for Drake, a geoscience major who will graduate in 2024.

“The day I got to see geology in action was the day at the ocean. Getting to go into the ocean and feeling how the rotation speed of the wave was faster closer to the sand and slower at the surface was fascinating. Experiencing something in person that you’ve learned in a classroom is always the best part of being a science major. I also got to see how they use engineering to attempt to control coastal erosion and maintain the tourist beaches,” Drake said.