Data Collection at the Amusement Park

Collect and Analyze Force, Acceleration, and Altitude Data for Amusement Park Rides

A popular use of our sensors and LabPro or CBL 2 is collecting data at amusement parks. The most commonly used sensors are the Low-g Accelerometer, 3-Axis Accelerometer, and Barometer. The accelerometers are used to measure the accelerations experienced in rides, and the Barometer is used to measure relative heights.

You could also use our new Wireless Dynamics Sensor System, which is perfect for roller coaster data collection.

Data Collection at the Amusement Park contains more information on the technical aspects of amusement park physics. It is written by Clarence Bakken, a physics teacher at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. Clarence has been collecting data at amusement parks since 1995. This manual gathers together information from a number of sources including our Logger Pro and EasyData, LabPro User’s Manual, and Physics with Vernier experiment workbook. Much of the manual is built around Clarence’s use of our equipment at the Paramount’s Great America Physics Day event in Santa Clara, California. He provides specific instruction on the use of sensors, Logger Pro computer software, and the DataMate and EasyData calculator programs.