Garden City High School students examined amusement park rides from a physics perspective when they visited Great Adventure last month. Fifty Garden City high schoolers recently visited Great Adventure for "Physics Day," an annual one-day event when only physics students are allowed to enter the park. Students study the forces generated by several rides including the ornate carousel and, of course, the giant roller coasters. "The experience of going to an amusement park will never be the same for these students," commented high school physics teacher Mrs. Rita Oppedisano. "They will forever be enticed to calculate the potential energy at the top of the roller coaster, and the centripetal force exerted on the outermost horse on the carousel versus the centripetal force exerted on the innermost horse."

Physics teachers from Garden City High School took a moment for a group shot with Great Adventure's mascot, "Mr. Six," during their "Physics Day" trip. Pictured here are, (left to right): Dr. John Slater, Mrs. Rita Oppedisano, "Mr. Six", Ms. Katie Parathyras, and Mrs. Patricia Mannion.