Honors Physics and AP Statistics went on the annual zipline field trip to Go Ape Zipline on September 29.
The students attend this field trip at the start of their two-dimensional motion unit. Physics teacher Mrs. Jennifer Lewis said the purpose of this student trip is to “aid them with real-world connections for the calculations further down in the unit” and to “provide a platform for students to understand how we can break down components of motion, as well as mathematically combine them to reach an anticipated outcome.”
“I thought it was a really cool experience. I really liked the alpine zip lines where we went from tree to tree instead of just ziplining from a tree to the ground,” said senior Nathan Lu.
“I loved the trip and it was quite enjoyable. I will say, though, it was a little nerve-wracking,” added senior Tatiana Randjelovic.
“Ten out of ten would do again,” commented senior Lindsey Lieu.
This year, students from AP Statistics, taught by Mrs. Sheryl Luoma, also attended the field trip. “The classes share so many of the same students.” Mrs. Luoma added. The statistics students brainstormed ways to collect data while on the trip, and they ended up with a stopwatch and timed students as they went down the zipline. They then compared these to the student’s height. Mrs. Luoma added, “We also discussed collecting data to determine the probability of landing on one’s feet. Many students were not able to land on their feet due to their center of mass, which led to a fun discussion and was related to a physics concept.”
