The Physics of Energy At Theme Parks
If you have a small child, you should definitely check out Kima Bay in Splashin’ Safari.
My son was 6 when we went and he couldn’t get enough of it!
Water slides, squirting water, and a monkey-theme. You can’t go wrong here!
It only has one entrance and exit, so it’s easy to keep track of your child and there are several lifeguards on staff.
But I’m not here to highlight a ride am I? I’m the science Holiblogger! Let’s talk about the energy of this water feature and what happens to tip that giant monkey bucket over!
Watch the video and pay specific attention just to the monkey bucket!
As the water pours into the bucket, the center of gravity inside the bucket changes. It gets higher and higher as the water level increases.
When the center of gravity gets above the rotation axis of the giant monkey bucket, it starts to tip, spilling its contents. This resets its center of gravity and the process starts again!
Here is a fun DIY for the next time you are at the park: Time how long it takes to fill the bucket. Then calculate how may times the monkey bucket spills in one day!
