Amusement Park Science & TEAM UP! Explore the Science of Sports
June 15 - September 8, 2019
Two exciting exhibits will be combined for patrons to examine and explore at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Through the entertainment of amusement park activities and the interaction of different sports, families will learn about the science and math behind all the fun.
In Amusement Park Science, you can explore the physics behind the thrills in amusement parks. Newt, the exhibit mascot, will welcome you to 12 different hands-on activities such as the "Wild Rides Video Kiosk," where you can feel like you are on an actual roller coaster. Then visitors can "Create-A-Coaster" and build different combinations of tracks to experiment with kinetic energy. Be sure to try "Momentum Machine," where families can spin on a rotating platform and learn about the conservation of angular momentum.
In TEAM UP! Explore the Science of Sports, families can examine the science and math behind the sports we play every day. "How Fast Was That Pitch?" measures the speed of your baseball pitch. "Set Shot" allows visitors to shoot a marble-sized basketball through a tiny hoop, and in "Balancing Acts," a pommel horse, balance beam, and tabletop activities teach about the skills it takes to become an Olympic-caliber gymnast.
Amusement Park Science and TEAM UP! Explore the Science of Sports were created and are circulated by Discovery Center Museum, Rockford, Illinois. The exhibit was made possible with funds provided by the National Science Foundation.