Tanfield School, Specialist College of Science and Engineering

Disneyland Trip: The science of designing and running a theme park

13th January 2010

A trip to Disneyland Paris has been planned for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students to investigate the science behind running a large theme park.

This is a 3 day trip and has been funded largely by the club members. A small amount of funding was contributed from the core Science club funding to cover things like staffing.

This visit will include a series of lecturers from the Disneyland staff about, physics, ecology and pyrotechnics.

A description of the lectures are shown below.

Session One: The use of design and technology in theme parks

This session begins with a brief overview of the Walt Disney Company, which is then followed by two case studies:

Case Study 1: Roller Coaster Physics
• How roller coasters work
• Forces, mass and acceleration, speed and velocity
• Gravity and falling objects, kinetic and potential energy
• Linear motors
• Systems and control technology
• Roller coasters and the body

Case Study 2: Audio Animatronics
• The development of audio animatronics
• Reel to reel
• Animation consoles
• How today’s audio animatronics work

Session Two: Science and the Environment

Case Study 3: Plant Life and water
• Plants as characters in a story
• From beet fields to a theme park – the construction of Disneyland Paris
• Photosynthesis
• Irrigation
• Water used in special effects
• Water analysis
• Balancing lakes

Case Study 4: Environmental impacts
• Sustainable development
• Recycling
• Environmentality – how the resort has developed its own environment friendly systems

Session Three: Use of electricity, the senses and special effects at Disneyland Paris

Case Study 5: The Senses – Sight and Smell
• Persistence of vision
• Ultraviolet light
• The use of smell in theme park design
• Other senses at work in the park

Case Study 6: Special effects/Electricity
• Wind, fog, steam and vacuums
• Fire and flame effects
• Electricity in the resort
• Electric currents and circuits, series and parallel circuits
• Safety in electrical circuits
• The use of batteries and back up generators

The group leader guide is attached for additional information.

Treeplanting Project for Our Eco Classroom

18th November 2009

Construction of our outdoor eco-classroom has begun and we thought we would start by clearing part of the area and planting some trees as it was National Tree Planting week.

The trees to be planted in our eco-classroom were generously donated by one of the parents of a member of our science club. We have also assembled a composter that can be filled with all of the schools canteen compostable waste on a daily basis. Thus making the eco-classroom sustainable.

The tree planting event was held on remembrance day Wednesday, 11th November 2009 and parents, governors and the STEMNET regional co-ordinator were invited to help.

Hot fresh soup and home-made bread with herbs grown from our herb garden were served as refreshments.

Engineering Challenge: A model of the Middlesborough transporter bridge

21st October 2009

Students shall enter the Engineering Challenge…

More details to enter.

Herb Garden & Weather Station

23rd September 2009

In order to investigate the importance of plants and grow some herbs for our future club activities like kitchen cookery we have decided to grow a herb garden in the front of our school.

This will lead to trips such as botanic gardens and Alnwick garden.

This is an on going project and will involve recording soil hydration, soil pH, measuring plant growth, effects of fertilising / vermiculite etc.

The effect of different weather conditions will be monitored and this will be related to plant growth.

This project will link with kitchen chemistry and weather station readings.

A bigger project to form an eco classroom outside the school for summer ecology lessons is being planned. (More information to be added soon).