Science of Disney Imagineering: Levers & Pulleys

 

All good things must come to an end and that’s the case here with our last DVD in Disney’s educational series. 

Asa’s Invention:  Asa has built a 600 pound Audio-Animatronic Tiki statue for a contest.  And while there are probably plenty of levers inside, the focus is on how levers and pulleys can help move the heavy statue to the judging. (And as the adult in the room, I did get tired of hearing him say “Boola, boola.”

Terms Defined: simple machine, mechanical advantage, lever, fulcrum, resistance, effort, 3rd class lever, actuator, electric servo 

Rides and Attractions: 

Okay, I have a special place in my heart for the first ride, Dumbo because I wanted to go on it as a 5 year old but it was closed and I had to wait thirty years until I had my own kid to finally ride.  For those not so nostalgic, Dumbo is a perfect example of a 3rd class lever—where the fulcrum is at one end, the resistance at the other and the effort is in between.  This way the motors and gears are hidden in the center of the ride.

Of course, I’m an adult now and my new favorite ride is Soarin’.  You may have heard the story how imagineer Mark Sumner  came up with the idea after spending an afternoon with his childhood erector set.  There are some pretty powerful pulleys to get the three rows of seats up into the air and give you the feeling you’re hang gliding over California.

This is probably the most iconic example of Disney Imagineering in the whole series. You just can’t think of a theme park without the Audio-Animatronics—from the original Enchanted Tiki Room to the Country Bear Jamboree to the Haunted Mansion.  Of course Disney works hard to preserve the magic of these figures so the samples shown on the DVD have already shed their skin—in fact they never mention who the characters are, but one appears humanoid.

 

If you’ve visited Catastrophe Canyon at Hollywood Studios you surely remember the70,000 gallons of gushing water coming towards you and over the tram.  It’s all controlled by levers opening the gates to the large reservoirs over your head (with the pretty powerful pumps to get the water back in place before the next tram pulls up). 

Our last stop is the Wave Pool and Typhoon Lagoon.  There are twelve 1-ton doors, working as levers, that open in a sequence to create the waves.  Computers control whether the waves break to the right or left.

 

Quiz:  15 multiple choice and T/F questions

Try It Yourself:   Household chores are seldom considered “fun” but Asa does his best by helping the kids use pulleys to create a laundry picker upper.   (We didn’t build this contraption in our science co-op.  You can read about our two experiments in Science Co-op Week 4 )

If you’ve missed any titles in the series click below:

Designs & Models

Electricity

Energy

Fluids

Friction

Gravity

Magnetism

Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion

Trajectory

Science of Disney Imagineering: Friction

Here’s our next (and next to last) DVD in the Science of Imagineering series.



Asa’s Invention:    Asa wants to help everyone wet their whistle at his Old West Soda Saloon where he struggles to slide glass mugs of root beer along the countertop.

Defined Terms:  friction, tribology, asperities, adhesion, drag, skin friction, static friction, kinetic friction, lubricant, rolling friction.

Disney Rides and Attractions that exemplify the theme:



I’ll admit this one totally surprised me—friction in the water?  The first example was the hull of the Disney Wonder cruise ship.  Asa explains that the ship has been painted with a special slippery paint.  I researched this a little more online and found that the paint keeps barnacles and other build up from adhering to the hull.  Those things would create more friction or drag in the water which would require more fuel to keep the ship moving so it’s more about energy conservation than making it look nice. Then we move onto the decks of the Wonder to see friction in action in various sports and games, culminating with shuffleboard.



Like most slides, Slush Gusher  relies on potential energy (starting high) and gravity to work.  The slope would have to be much steeper if water wasn’t there to help overcome the friction of your body on the slide surface.  While it’s easy to glide over water, it’s difficult to move fast through water (we just covered that with the cruise ships) so there’s a deeper pool of water at the bottom to slow you down.



Friction can be good or bad as we learn at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  The movement of  parts against one another can lead to engine wear and tear.  And rolling friction causes heat and deformation of the tires.  On the other hand if you want to go really fast you need good brakes to slow down.  The brake pads are using friction to slow down the wheels.



So if soft rubber tires cause rolling friction and deformation why don’t we make harder wheels?  There are vehicles that use hard wheels—like the trains on the Walt Disney World Railroad.   The low rolling friction makes trains very energy efficient for moving heavy loads over long distances.  The tradeoff is it requires a lot of energy to get the trains moving in the first place.  In fact the trains at Disney have a special nozzle to apply sand to the track to give it a little extra friction when they pull out of the station.  The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad hard wheels on a steel track.  It relies on lift hills to get the trains moving and the imagineers must make sure the coaster is streamlined enough to not be slowed or stopped by the drag of the air before reaching the next lift hill.
 


Finally we stop at the Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show.  Have you noticed all the wheel burns and slip-sliding the cars do?  The cars use very powerful motors meant for motorcycles (so they’re much lighter).  Because the cars don’t have the normal weight pressing down on the tires, the tires can slip and slide more easily.

Quiz  15 T/F and multiple choice questions

Try It Yourself 

Asa makes a musical instrument involving rubbing strings.  (If you appreciate good music, you’ll probably want to skip this.  Here’s the experiment I substituted in my science co-op).
Visit back next week for our last topic,  Levers & Pulleys.

Science of Disney Imagineering: Magnetism

Last fall when I was sharing about my Hands-On Science co-op class I realized I’d missed making detailed summaries of some of the Science of Disney Imagineering DVD’s.  So I’m finally going to fulfill my promise to get through all of them.  I’m going to write up one for the next three weeks, starting here with Magnetism.

Asa’s Invention:     The folks down the road at Universal Studies will probably cry copyright infringement because the metal wall Asa scales with magnets attached to his hands and knees seemed very Spiderman-esque.

Defined Terms:  Magnetism, ferromagnetism, magnetic field, permanent magnet, electromagnet

Disney Rides and Attractions that exemplify the theme:  

If you watch these DVD’s to see the cool rides, you’ll probably be disappointed in this title.  Asa spends more than 14 (of the 25) minutes in his work area explaining the concepts. When he finally goes to the parks, he focuses on some of the more mundane jobs they do—like holding nametags  without puncturing shirts.

We get a brief tease of the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland, but the focus is on the electromagnetic exit gate.  I must say it is amazing that it only takes the energy of a night light to create a hold capable of withstanding 1200 pounds of pull.

The we finally make a visit to a thrill ride—the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster where the breathtaking launch (60 mph in 2 seconds) relies on magnets.  Beneath the track, 106 electromagnets are arranged in two parallel rows. The electromagnets turn on and off in sequence to attract powerful rare earth magnets on a pusher car at an increasing speed down the track.  The twelve rare earth magnets are each about three feet long and weigh to much to be attached to the coaster train itself.

I couldn’t find a photo of the final magnetism sample because Disney workers hard to camouflage its audio speakers, like the 270 in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  Most of the discussion takes place in a sound room.  It is the rapid change in electric current that causes magnets in a speaker’s diaphragm to move in and out.  This vibrates the air in front of the speaker and makes the sound waves we hear.

 Quiz  15 T/F and multiple choice questions

Try It Yourself 

Its part science part art project.  Begin by placing several bar magnets around a sheet of butcher paper.  Then place a compass near one of the magnets.  This will cause the needle to be attracted to the magnet’s pole rather than the earth’s.  Draw dots at the ends of the needle and then move the compass to the new dot you drew and see how the needle shifts again—draw a new dot.  Keep going with all the magnets and you’ll end up with a visual representation of the magnetic field.

 If you’d like to check out the other title is the Science of Disney Imagineering series, click here.

Science of Disney Imagineering: Trajectory

We shipped Schnickelfritz of to Camporama yesterday which means its just me and the dog at home (until Toolman and I go to join him on Thursday--more about that later).  So what's a mom to do?  Well, I am taking some time to scrapbook, but I'm also entering next year's school work into Edu-Track.  A new challenge this year will be teaching a hands-on science class at our co-op.  I've decided to use the Science of Disney Imagineering DVDs to introduce each subject and we'll either do the Try It Yourself experiments or something else that fits the topic (we're not going to build that hovercraft from the Gravity DVD).   Now's as good a time as any for me to finish up my summaries from this great series.  So today we'll look at Trajectory (I think this is Fritz's favorite).

Asa's Invention:    In order to feed guests quickly Asa builds the Churro-Matic 3000 to launch deep fried treats into the guests waiting hands.  I think this is why my son loves this video.  While trying to perfect the speed and angle of launch Asa sends churros into a co-worker's bowl of soup, takes out a model coaster, and impales a computer monitor--nothing captures a boy's fancy more than comedic destruction.

Defined Terms:   Trajectory, Gravity, Projectile, Parabola, Zero G's

Disney Rides and Attractions that exemplify the theme:

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt show:  It turns out it takes more than just horsepower and guts to perform the crazy car jumps that entertain guests.  To do the same trick over and over day after day someone had to perform some pretty precise calculations with car speed, launch angles, etc.  Asa suggests a new stunt with a bicycle and garbage truck launching at the same time off of the same ramp.  In theory, with no wind resistance, the two vehicles would follow the same path--although the stunt coordinator said he wouldn't want to be the guy on the bike.

Toy Story Midway Mania:  Since the interactive element of this ride takes place in the virtual world, we are dealing with perfect trajectory with only gravity to consider.  Each time the ride stops for shooting, computers are determining the up & down, and left to right angles of the pull string cannons.

Disney's Fireworks shows:  We often walk away remembering the beauty of the display and how well it flowed with the music.  Did you ever stop to consider just how someone gets all those explosions to occur at the right time and position in the sky?  They know the mass of each firework and the launch angle of each tube.  A computer controls compressed air to adjust the speed at which each projectile is launched and the laws of physics take over from there.

Leapfrog Fountains at the Imagination Pavilion:  I could spend hours watching these jets of water hop from pad to pad (sometimes right over my head).  Water is normally a very turbulent fluid, so to pull this trick off special flow heads had to be installed to "calm" the water down do that it will follow the parabolic path when squirted out.

California Screamin'  The roller coaster train isn't a projectile because it has to follow the path of the tracks, but trajectory does play a part in coaster design.  When the tracks pull the cars down down at a faster rate than it would normally follow from gravity alone the rider is rewarded with that weightless feeling.

Try It Yourself   Asa and some friends build a three-man sling shot.  (We won't be doing this for my co-op class since we inside a church--but it could be a lot of fun!)


If you'd like to learn about the other titles in the Science of Imagineering series click here.

Science of Disney Imagineering: Newton's 3 Laws of Motion

We've been home from our Disney World trip for about a month so now we're reminiscing as we complete the Disney Imagineering DVD series.  This time our topic is Newton's 3 Laws of Motion--a pretty sophisticated subject for a program geared to 5th-8th graders, but I would say it is Schnickelfritz's second favorite in the series so far.

Asa's Invention:  There's no invention again.  This time Asa starts out in his work area juggling three balls--a recurring theme in the DVD, melons and bowling balls don't work so well although in theory you could juggle these too.  We also meet Asa's new intern, ironically (or perhaps predictably) named Newton.

Terms Defined:  force, net force, velocity, acceleration, Newton's 1st law, Newton's 2nd Law, friction, Newton's 3rd law, inertia, momentum.

Attractions that demonstrate the scientific principle:



With one exception, all of these attractions were new to the series.  The first is hardly an "attraction", in fact you may have walked by it several times at Disneyland's Tomorrowland and never stopped to look.   The Kugel ball is art meets science.  The 14 ton ball is normally an object at rest, even though it is round.  A small current of water from underneath removes most of the friction so that even a child can apply sufficient force to start the ball rolling.  There is still some friction  so the ball won't stay perpetually rolling (an object in motion stays in motion) or we can use the force of our hands to stop the ball again.   



Next, we learn about velocity and acceleration.  Acceleration is a change in velocity.  Velocity is speed in a certain direction so changing direction is also a form of acceleration.  The Golden Zephyr rockets would shoot off in a straight line if they weren't attached to a focal point by cables.   Because the rockets are constantly changing direction you get the thrill of acceleration (although I doubt the thrill is anything like that of Test Track).

Calculations also had to be made on how the ride would work with anywhere from one to twelve passengers of different weights and sizes.  It sounds complicated, but we often use Newton's laws without even thinking about it.  Ever try to figure out how hard to smack the bottom of a ketchup bottle to start the contents flowing--that's physics at work.

Newton's Third Law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, is demonstrated with a paddle moving through the water.  The paddle pushes back on the water and the boat is propelled forward.  The principle works whether you're in a canoe at Fort Wilderness or on the big paddle-wheeler, The Liberty Belle.



More reactions occur on Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters at Disney Quest in Downtown Disney.  Every time the bumper cars hit they bounce off in the opposite direction.  Add to this the possibility of spinning out of control if the targets on your vehicle are hit and you've got quite a fun ride.  Again, more calculations were needed to determine the best force for launching the "cannon ball," too much and there's the danger of injury, too little and you've got a dud.

 Next we revisit California Screamin' (it seems this series likes to highlight the newer thrill rides).  A little time is spent on the launch of the ride (going from stand-still to 55 mph in four seconds).  What I found interesting was it's not the speed of the ride that makes it thrilling but the change of direction.  Think about it, we usually travel much faster in a car but that trip can be very dull over long, straight stretches of highway.

The lesson end's with a water slide.  Usually slides are in the down direction with water to help eliminate friction.  The imagineers have figured out how to use a powerful cannon of water to propel riders in inner tubes back up hill so now we're really talking about a water roller coaster.  The ride is called Crush n Gusher. 

Quiz:  15 multiple choice and true/false questions.

Try it Yourself:  Newton had three laws so there are three experiments.  One for each principle.

1.  The Egg in the Glass Trick.  A plastic plate is placed on three glasses of water near the edge of a table (the plate must stick out over the edge).  Empty toilet paper tubes are placed on the plate, each directly over a glass and in turn an egg is placed on each tube. (The kids might not be as thrilled, but you can use hard boiled eggs).   A broom is placed on the floor and you must step on the bristles and pull back on the handle.  When the handle is released it flies into the plate knocking it and the tubes out of the way.  The eggs fall straight down into the glasses. 

2. Put all your eggs in One Blanket.   If you throw an egg at a wall it will shatter and leave a big mess to clean up.  This is because the wall is a solid surface and the egg must decelerate instantly.  However, if you have to friends hold up a blanket, loosely enough so that there is some sag at the bottom, you can throw eggs at it with all your might and the eggs will not break.  The blanket absorbs the force over a slight distance and the egg settles in the sag at the bottom.  (Again you may want to use hard boiled eggs or at least limit the number thrown at the wall).

3.  Bouncing Balls of Force.   Schnickelfritz and I were all over this experiment as soon as we saw it.  Hold a tennis ball on top of a basketball and let both drop to the ground at the same time.  The basketball will hit the ground first and start up when it hits the tennis ball.  Because the tennis ball is so much smaller, the force from the basketball launches it way in the air.  Fritz did this for more than half an hour while he waited for friends to come over.

We've only got a few more videos in the series.  If you'd like to read about the other's click on the Science of Imagineering tag to the right.

Science of Disney Imagineering: Electricity

Woohoo!  Less than a month to go before we head down to Disney World and a new Science of Disney Imagineering DVD came in for us at the library.  This one covers electricity--a vary dangerous subject so there is a lot of safety warnings and instruction.  Well, you know the drill by now.

Asa's Invention:   Asa has attached a piano keyboard up to a tesla coil to participate in a futuristic band contest the imagineers are holding.  Joined by an electric guitar and a drummer, (wearing a mesh metal suit to become part of the circuit itself) they form the Tesla Trio.

Definitions:  This one is chock full--Electricity, insulators, conductors, voltage, current, 1 amp, circuit, load, resistance, series ciruit, parallel circuit, watt, direct current, alternating current, and static electricity.

Disney Rides & Attractions that exemplify the theme:

Say the world electricity and perhaps a light bulb goes on in your head.  You'd be hard-pressed to find more light bulbs in one place than the Spectromagic parade (okay, the Osborne Christmas lights display at Hollywood Studios comes to mind but the must not have been filming during the holiday season).  There are over 875,000 incandescant lights, 250,000 fiber optic points of light, and 1,096 batteries.  We learn the difference between a series and a parallel circuit and why you wouldn't want to use a series circuit on these floats (think about trying to find the one burnt out bulb on your Christmas tree).   Asa uses a water hose to demonsrate the flow of electricity and the concept of resistanceand voltage. 

We also learn about resistance and this takes us to an interesting science fact (which has nothing to do with Disney).  Everything has resistance, including your skin.  When you lie you tend to sweat which decreases the resistance.  Lie detectors can measure this descrease and tell when you're lying.  Asa gets caught as the thief of an ice cream sundae left in the imagineers' fridge.

When imagineers updated the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea  to the Finding  Nemo Subs they also retrofitted the submarines from deisel engines to cleaner electric engines.  The three-foot propellers depend on batteries to run.   The question is how to get electricity to the sub through water without charging the water (we all know water and electricity don't mix).   If you look down in the water you may be able to see the dark track the subs follow.  I hope I didn't ruin the magic for anyone, the captain isn't really steering the sub.  There is also an insulated coil down there with a flowing current of electricity.  Under the subs is configuration of magnets that saddles over that coil.  The electric current in the coil produces a magnetic field which in turn produces electricity inside the submarine.   This whole section brought back memories of high school physics and trying to remember the right hand rule of magnetism.

The next subject is static electricity and lightning.  Asa demonstrates the old rubbing-your-feet-on -the-carpet-and-shocking-your-friend gag.  Then he moves on to the more serious issue of the danger of lightning strikes.  The ships of the Disney Cruise Line have lightning rods in the masts.  If lightning strikes the ship it passes through the rod and the hull of the ship into the water and eventually the ground.

 Our last ride is Test Track.  Once again we're faced with the problem of how to provide power to the electric motors in the cars.  (It's not mentioned in the DVD, but I've heard this system is so complex that it's easier to just let it run 24/7 than try to start it up each morning).  There's no way you could fit a big enough battery in the vehicle to power it all the time.  Once again we're dependant on the track that guides the car.  There are copper bus bars that run along the entire track circuit carrying an electric current.  Collection shoes under the cars carry the current to the motors.    This means the entire ride  is a parallel circuit with each car taking the place of a Christmas light in the Spectromagic example.

Quiz:  15  true/false and multiple choice questions.

Try It Yourself:   Since we dealing with something dangerous, there is a safety lesson to start with:  always pull appliances from the outlet by the plug which is designed to withstand handling.  Pulling by the cord can weaken the insulation and allow the wires to touch creating a short circuit.  The experiment itself is based on the old potato clock idea.  We are going to try different foods and see if they will carry a current.  You need 9 volt batteries, wires with alligator clips, two forks your mother won't mind ruining, led lights and food items from your kitchen.  Another safety warning--the food is now part of a scientific experiment and you shouldn't try to eat it before or after the test.  The examples in the DVD are a pickle, a candybar, and a glob of mayonaise.  I won't give away the results, you'll have to Try It Yourself.

Science of Disney Imagineering: Energy

Energy--on 100+ degree days like today, I don't seem to have too much of it.  And with our Disney trip rapidly approaching we need to get through the rest of the imagineering series.  To kill two birds with one stone, we are staying in the air conditioning and screening the latest dvd in the Science of Disney Imagineering.  It appears Asa has energy to burn (the sugar induced kind you may have witnessed in your own children), he's bouncing and bound from location to location and insiders will note from California to Florida.

 

Asa's Invention:    Asa hasn't built anything in this episode.  Instead he greets us while bounding up and down (until he gets dizzy) on a mini-trampoline in his workspace.

Defined Terms:  Energy, work, mechanical energy, kinetic energy, Law of Conservation of Energy

Disney Rides and Attractions that exemplify the theme:



 

The Tea cups  are a fascinating example of work and energy because in order to get the full experience the riders have to provide some of the work themselves.  Gears (mechanical energy) underneath the ride spin the entire platform and the three smaller discs.  Riders do their own work on the spinning wheel in the center of the cup.  We learn about the conservation of energy--all the enregy going into the ride must come out in some form.  In this case some of the enregy is turned into heat energy through the friction of the brakes and gears.

 

Sumitt Plummet:  It is a loonnngggg climb up the stairs to the top of the biggest straight water slide in the world, but once we've reached the top we learn that we've accumulated a lot of potential or stored energy.  This is turned into kinetic energy as we swoosh down, going faster and faster.   In theory, they could have constructed an uphill section of slide and we could have converted the kinectic back to potential energy.  It would have to be slightly lower than the original drop because there was some loss of energy to friction.  Instead the energy is disipated by the dispersal of water at the bottom of the slide and believe it or not some heat energy raising the temperature of the water.  (FYI: Asa reached a speed of 51 mph on his descent). 

 

 

 

 

 

Test Track This is the fasted ride in all of Disney World and it takes a lot of eletrical energy.  A bar located beneath the car draws energy to the motor to drive the wheels, the display panel and the audio system.  Heat energy comes from the friction of the brakes (most energy systems end with the creation of some heat).  What you may not know is at the end of the ride the motor is actually switched to a generator function.  As it creates electricity, it resists being turned and that slows the vehicle down.  There is a similar system in Mission Space that actuall creates energy that goes back on the electric grid.

 
The Finding Nemo Submarines:  Now we enter a phase about renewable and green energy.  We see a glimpse of the solar panels on the Energy Pavillion in Epcot as well as the Disney Studios in California.  Coal, natural gas, and oil are labeled "bad."  Solar, wind, and bio-fuels are labels "good."  The example given are the submarines in Disneyland.  Originally they used diesel fuel but when the ride was refurbished to a Nemo theme the subs were converted to electricity.  They are described as being cleaner but no on carries the system out far enough to realize that somewhere there is a power plant still burning coal in all likelyhood to create the electicity.

Expedition Everest:  This coaster appears in several of the dvds.  I suppose this is because it's the newest thrill ride and they are still promoting it.  The coaster has the longest train of any roller coaster on Disney property.  There are two lift hills on the ride to provide potential energy, but even then the imagineers needed to supplement the system.  Just before both pauses in the ride, electric booster wheels carry the train higher on the track to create more potential energy for the thrills and spills ahead.

Quiz:  15  questions--either true/false or multiple choice

 



Try it Yourself:  Asa guides us in building a Newton's Cradle.  Perhaps you don't recognize the name but most people have seen them in school or as an executive desk toy.  Someone will have to sacrifice 5 golf balls for the contraption.  Other supples are push pins, fishing line, and tape.  It's certainly do-able, even for youger kids although they may need help with alignment. Asa's cradle is built between two chairs so it's temporary in nature.  I'm sure an enterprising homeschooler could figure out a permanent stand for the device.

The Science of Disney Imagineering: Fluids

As we get into the heat of summer (and hasn't is come early this year?), we mom's are often reminding our kids to get plenty of fluids.  Thanks to our latest Imagineering DVD I have learned that "fluids" and "liquids" are not the same thing--at least not from a scientific point of view.  A fluid is a substance whose molecules flow freely and takes the form of the container holding it.  This is often a liquid, but could be a gas or something a little harder to descibe--like toothpaste.  This DVD seemed a little more mature--that is fewer sight gags,  cartoons,  etc.  (There is one quick reference to flatulance with an accompanying noise).

Asa's Invention:  The Pneumatic Food-Matic 5000.  The workspace is filled with tubing as Asa tries to bring food to hungry park guests who may not be near an eating establishment (is that even possible in Disney World?)  Working like those tubes at the bank, a small capsule should deliver a hamburger from the kitchen as the fluid (in this case, air) flows from high pressure to low pressure.  Of course, it needs a little tweaking.

Defined Terms:  Fluid, Fluid Dynamics, Archimedes Principle, Neutrally Buoyant, Pressure, Hydraulic System, Mechanical Advantage

Disney Rides and Attractions that exemplify the theme:                                                                                                                                                                         

While the principle is true for all the themed vessels in Disney's flotilla, we focus on the Mark Twain Riverboat.   How can something that weighs so much float?  Asa has a large container of water and a wooden cube that floats.  A metal cube of the same size sinks to the bottom.  In order to make the metal object float we need to change it's shape to displace more water.   When the weight of the water being displaced exceeds the weight of the object it will float.  By flattening out the bottom and raising the sides, the boat pushes away more water, but the additional volume holds air which doesn't add to the weight.  

If you want to see a lot of fluid, it's hard to find more in one spot that the Living Seas with Nemopavillion at Epcot.  This is one of the biggest single aquariums in the world.  Asa learns about theprinciples of buoyancy with a scuba diver in the big tank.  First he needs to add weights to his weight suit to overcome the natural tendency to float.  Then he either adds air or releases it from his buayancy compensator vest to ascend or descend in the water.  He can also stay at a stable level (neutral buoyancy).  Some fish have built in swim bladders to accomplish the same thing.  Others, like a shark, would sink to the bottom if they stopped swimming.   There is also an experiment with an empty milk jug showing how pressure increases on all sides as you go deeper in water.  Interesting note:  the large windows of the tank are six inches think at the bottom than the top and are only held in place by the pressure of the water.

Sometimes it may not be so obvious that fluids are involved in a Disney attraction.  Take the Dinosaur ride and Animal Kingdom.  This ride takes place in a car--no water in sight.  If you could peel away the "skin" of the large audio-animatronics you would find hydraulic pumps at work.   The uncompressible liquids being force through small tubes are capable of applying thousands of pounds of pressure and move the limbs and necks of the massive creatures.  Disney is very reluctant to ruin the "magic" for anyone so they don't actually show the animatronics without its covering, instead it's explained with a cartoon image.

The last ride is Grizzly River Rapids in California Adventure (although it could be Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom).   The imagineers can control the speed of the circular boats by changing the width and depth of the channel of water.  They also use "turbulators,"  or obstacles on the bottom of the channel to create the whitewater on the top of the water.

 

 

Quiz: 15 questions.  If you get one wrong you will view a clip containing the correct answer before being given a chance to answer the question again.

Try It Yourself:  Two great experiments this time and easy to accomplish at home.  The first has been performed by magicians around the world.  It turns out it's science not magic!  Take a glass and fill it with water to the brim.  Place a paper plate over the top and invert the two together, then remove your hand from under the plate.  The plate will "stick" to the glass and the water won't fall to the ground because the air pressure on the outside is greater than the weight of the water in the glass.

The second experiment is to discover how long a straw you can build and still be able to suck water up through it.  Using soda straws and duct tape see if you can lift water up the stairs of your home or from a high deck to the ground.  It turns out the most you can do is about 33 vertical feet.

We're reaching the halfway point in the Imagineering series and are loving everyone.  I really hope you try to get these through inter-library loan.

Science of Disney Imagineering: Gravity

What goes up must come down.  We've all heard that saying before but this week we've actually begun to study the concept of Gravity with another Disney educational DVD.  We don't usually think about gravity because we've always been exposed to it.   The imagineers discover ways to mani

Asa's Invention:    Fond memories of watching men tossing and twirling pizza dough lead Asa to create a robotic counterpart for a restaurant in Tomorrowland.  After testing the machine several times he is left with several splotches of goo stuck to the ceiling above him and with time he is dodging the dough-bombs as they fall.

Defined Terms:  gravity, 1 G,  air resistance, friction, freefall, centrifuge, centripical force, Newton's 1st and 2nd laws of motion

Disney Rides and Attractions that exemplify the theme:

At first you may not think of Mission Space as a gravity ride but the imagineers use centripical force to alter our perceptions of gravity.  The backs of our seats begin pushing us towards the axis of the ride (simulating high g's of a launch) and when the spinning motion stops we misinterpret the lack of force as the weightlessness of outer space.  Asa does the famous spinning a bucket of water trick to model the ride.

Next we head to the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first steel tube track created.  We learn about the need for a lift hill to take the cars up to a point where we can let gravity pull us down along a predetermined course of twists and turns.  "Falling with style" as Sherriff Woody might say.  Asa and another imagineer also discuss Newton's 1st and 2nd laws of motion.  An object in motion stays in motion--and in a straight line.  Because the curves in the track force us out of that straight line we really notice the changes when we go around corners.

Next we see a montage of other Disney coasters: Rockin' Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain and Califormia Screamin'.  The imagineers discuss the best places to sit to enhance different aspects of the ride.  Everybody is going over the same track but there's something called the long train effect that makes the ride a little different from front to back.  Do you want to esperience the most g's?  Then sit in the front of Rockin' Rollercoaster.  Do you want the greatest speed going down hill?  Then the back seat is your best choice.  (Incidently, this is how I first inticed my son to try his first roller coaster.  We sat in the very front row because I knew we would be halfway down the hill before the train started to pick up speed and momentum).

And of course you know we couldn't leave the subject of gravity without talking about the Tower of Terror.  If the ride just hoisted you up to the top and let you freefall, you would travel at the same speed as your seat and it wouldn't really be that thrilling.  The imagineers attached a cable to the bottom of the car so they can pull it down faster than the force of gravity.  This makes your seat fall out from under you for a heart-stopping moment.

The Quiz:  15 questions

Try It Yourself:  Okay, this time I think the imagineers were a little too ambitious when they give us the instructions for building our own hovercraft.  It's an expensive project and my 8 year old son can't use power tools.  However, we homeschooler have been known to do some pretty crazy labs and experiments.  If your kids know how to handle shop tools I think you could earn cool parent for life points here and be named the best house on the block.

The Science of Disney Imagineering: Design & Models

Recently I blogged about a new series of DVD's we've discovered by Disney covering basics in science, mostly physics.  I'd seen some of these movies listed on the Disney Movie Club website but never felt like I could find enough information about them to feel secure in purchasing them.  They have a hefty price tag ($30 for a 30 minute program).  I decided to start writing more thorough reviews for anyone interested in buying the DVD's or at least knowing which one's they might like to acquire through inter-library loan.  Our most recent view is Designs & Models.  The host for all the titles is an Imagineer named Asa.

Asa's Invention:  For the first time Asa is not working on his own quirky invention.  Instead he uses the example of tutu-clad monkeys invading your living room to explain the process of the Engineering Design Process.

1. Identify a need or problem (you have to get the monkeys out of the house)


2. Define design requirement & constraints (you don't have any bananas)


3. Brainstorm Solutions (there are no bad ideas--even the dressing up in yellow and wearing banana scented perfume)


4. Decide on an approach


5. Build models (it is much easier to change the design on a small scale first)


6. Build the final project



Defined Terms:  Design, Requirement, Constraint, Scale, Model, Iterative  (there is usually a cartoon accompanying the definition to aid in understanding)



Disney Rides or Attractions that exemplify the Theme:  

 The first is Expedition Everest and it receives the most extensive coverage.  Imagineers determine the need-a thrill ride at Disney's animal kingdom.  Brainstorming ideas include a mythical creature theme, but since it will be placed in the Asia section of the park they settle on the Yeti.  Imagineers travel to Nepal to pick up theming ideas and concept drawings are created.  A model of the mountain is sculpted in progressively larger scales with modifications made.  A Cad-Cam system shows how the track and support structure needs to be place and the stages of construction (at one point it was discovered that a support beam would have shot right through a section of track).  Artistic considerations like lighting and sound design are explained.


Second comes Toy Story Mania.  The original model was actually two folding chairs and a paper towel tube!  They knew what they wanted to do but required a lot of play-testing and redesigning to determine the best kind of shooters for the interactive ride.  The key to this segment was showing that problem solving is a process and requires perseverence.


Finally we saw a brief glimpe of latest attraction being built in California--Cars Land, based on the Pixar movie.  More high tech wizardry:  a machine that build models by adding layer upon layer from a computer representation and a visor that let's you view and walk through a  virtual world.  The imagineers discovered that the mountain range of the Cars ride needed to be higher to block the view of electric power lines from the riders.


 The Quiz:  15 questions

Try It Yourself:  Using soda straws and tape, Asa builds a bridge from which is hanging a paper cup.  He begins filling the cup with pennies but it soon collapses--our model didn't work, time for a redesign.  Then he walks you through the process of buidling a suspension bridge.  This design holds a lot more pennies.  I would have prefered it if we were given the opportunity to brainstorm our own design rather than be handed the answer.  I suppose we can always improve on the improvement.

Science of Disney Imagineering

Several weeks ago I posted about some videos we watched during an illness that were entertaining  to a sick kid but could still count towards school.  Now I've found a whole new series I want to share!!  We've just booked our vacation to visit the mouse in Florida and I had looked into their educational field trips but they just weren't going to work for us.  One link led to another and I discovered a set of educational DVD's put out by Disney that explains the science behind some of their theme park rides.  There was a period of time that I wanted to be an imagineer and of course my Schnickelfritz plans to open his own theme park someday--called Seven Flags (we've already started a copyright infringement lawsuit fund).



The videos give a foundation in physics and show that science can be fun.  Imagineer Asa is our guide.  He defines terms with cute stick figure cartoons and then heads out to the parks to show how the theory of science is put into practice.  Our first video covered Trajectory.  Asa defines several terms like trajectory, projectile, etc. while introducing his new invention THE CHURRO-MATIC 5000!!    This goofy machine launches sugar coated, fried snacks to hungry park guests.  Since we have discounted wind resistance (we're in his workshop) and the launcher only has one speed,  Asa  must alter the angle of fire so the churro lands in the basket.  Of course this is Disney and for entertainment purposed several churros go awry first.

Then it's off to Disney World to see how important trajectory is in setting ramps for the car stunt show at Disney Studios.  Another imagineer explains how computers simulate perfect trajectory (no wind resistance) in Toy Story Mania.   We learn that projectiles don't need to be solid object as evidenced by the hopping water fountains outside the Imagination pavilion in Epcot.

My son laughed himself silly, but he did learn as well.  The DVD comes with a bonus feature quiz and he would have scored an A- if this had been an actual test.  Fritz is only 8 and the video is geared towards 5th to 8th graders so I think he did quite well.  This is just an introduction to the principle.  We learn there are complicated formulas in calculating trajectory but nothing further.  In fact, we learn that humans have a natural ability to do this without thinking--when's the last time you sunk a basketball in the hoop?  You didn't need a slide-rule or calculator for that.

There is also a "Try It Yourself" lab experiment--in this case building a three man slingshot.  We'll have to save that for a summer water balloon extravaganza.

We're requesting the entire series through our inter-library loan.  Other titles cover Gravity, Magnetism, Energy, Electricity, Friction, Fluids, Levers and Pulleys, Designs and Models, and Animal Adaptions.  (I may preview the last one before I show him to see how much evolution creeps in).