Six Flags Over Georgia
There’s a man working at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell who claims to have the best job in North America. Who could pass up an opportunity to find out why? Not us! And it turns out there are a lot of amazing jobs at this place. For example, they actually have jobs riding rides! And if you want to set yourself up for a job like this, it will help to learn some science. You’ll find out why. Oh, and we’ll ride a coaster or two too!
Six Flags Over Georgia
There’s a man working at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell who claims to have the best job in North America. Who could pass up an opportunity to find out why? Not us! And it turns out there are a lot of amazing jobs at this place. For example, they actually have jobs riding rides! And if you want to set yourself up for a job like this, it will help to learn some science. You’ll find out why. Oh, and we’ll ride a coaster or two too!
Science
Construct an argument that systems of the body (Cardiovascular, Excretory, Digestive, Respiratory, Muscular, Nervous, and Immune) interact with one another to carry out life processes.
Analyze and interpret data to create graphical displays that illustrate the relationships of kinetic energy to mass and speed, and potential energy to mass and height of an object.
Plan and carry out an investigation to explain the transformation between kinetic and potential energy within a system (e.g., roller coasters, pendulums, rubber bands, etc.).
Construct an explanation based on evidence using Newton's Laws of how forces affect the acceleration of a body.
- Explain and predict the motion of a body in absence of a force and when forces are applied using Newton's 1st Law (principle of inertia).
- Calculate the acceleration for an object using Newton's 2nd Law, including situations where multiple forces act together.
- Identify the pair of equal and opposite forces between two interacting bodies and relate their magnitudes and directions using Newton's 3rd Law.
Develop and use a model of a Free Body Diagram to represent the forces acting on an object (both equilibrium and non-equilibrium).
Use mathematical representations to calculate magnitudes and vector components for typical forces including gravitational force, normal force, friction forces, tension forces, and spring forces.
Plan and carry out an investigation to gather evidence to identify the force or force component responsible for causing an object to move along a circular path.
- Calculate the magnitude of a centripetal acceleration.
Develop and use a model to describe the mathematical relationship between mass, distance, and force as expressed by Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
Use mathematics and computational thinking to analyze, evaluate, and apply the principle of conservation of energy and the Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem.
- Calculate the kinetic energy of an object.
- Calculate the amount of work performed by a force on an object.
Plan and carry out an investigation demonstrating conservation and rate of transfer of energy (power) to solve problems involving closed systems.
Construct an argument supported by evidence of the use of the principle of conservation of momentum to
- explain how the brief application of a force creates an impulse.
- describe and perform calculations involving one dimensional momentum.
- connect the concepts of Newton's 3rd law and impulse.
- experimentally compare and contrast inelastic and elastic collisions.
Construct explanations for energy transformations within a system.
Plan and carry out an investigation to analyze the motion of an object using mathematical and graphical models.
Construct an explanation based on experimental evidence to support the claims presented in Newton's three laws of motion.
Analyze and interpret data to identify the relationship between mass and gravitational force for falling objects.
Use mathematics and computational thinking to identify the relationships between work, mechanical advantage, and simple machines.
Social Studies
Evaluate the economic impact of various industries in Georgia including agricultural, entertainment, manufacturing, service, and technology.
1. There is an old saying to help people find good employees, "hire for attitude, train for skill." What might this mean and why would it apply to Six Flags?
2. A new focus for creating products and services is called "user experience" or "human-centered" design. What do you think this is and why is this concept so important for amusement parks like Six Flags?
Adrenaline Rush: a sudden burst of energy from an increase in the hormone adrenaline
Fight or Flight Response: a bodily reaction that occurs in response to a possible harmful event, attack, or threat to survival
Transfer of Energy: a process where energy changes from one form to another by way of motion, heat, light, or sound
Potential Energy: the energy that something has because of its position or the way its parts are arranged
Kinetic Energy: energy that is in motion
Angular Momentum: the motion of an object spinning around instead of moving in a straight line
Ratio: the relationship that exists between the size, number, or amount of two things and that is often represented by two numbers
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Special Thanks
Brianna Warren, Molly Buckner, Dale Ketzel, Mitch Fielder, Kevin Mathews, Jamaal Teagle, Heather Clark, Emily Murray, Charlie Gates, Robb Alvey
This content was developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, this content does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
