FAIRGROUND PHYSICS Teacher s Guide 6501 Deer Lake Avenue Burnaby, BC V5G 3T6 T 604.297.4565 F 604.297.4557 www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Getting Organized...................................................................... 4 About the Program Program Description.............................................................. 6 Learning Objectives............................................................... 6 Curriculum Connections...7 Post-Visit Activities Multidisciplinary Activities...8 Tangram Puzzle.................................................................. 9 Carousel Colouring Sheet.......................................................... 12 Good Manners at the Burnaby Village Museum...13 Appendices: Background Information & Additional Resources A: Carousel Technical Glossary & Diagram... 14 B: Fairground Physics Glossary... 16 C: More on Centripetal Force...................................................... 19 D: Simple Machines.............................................................. 20 E: Historical Background... 22 F: Parker Carousel #119 Fact Sheet... 24 G: Residents of the Parker Carousel... 26 H: Additional Resources........................................................... 27 Map / Directions... 29 Evaluation...30 3
FAIRGROUND PHYSICS The material contained in this pre-visit package will help you prepare your class for a rewarding and enjoyable experience. It will provide you with the necessary background information on the tour and how it is conducted. GETTING ORGANIZED Program Details Tours are conducted from 10:00am to 11:30am and 12:30pm to 2:00pm. Please arrive 10-15 minutes before your scheduled start. Assemble your class at the main entrance and ask the children to wait while you confirm your payment in the Administration Office. A staff member will greet your group at the entrance a few minutes before your visit is scheduled to begin. Please advise at the time of booking if your group will be late or has to leave early, the Museum may have to shorten the program. The program s schedule cannot accommodate a designated snack time. Please notify us if your class is planning to bring their lunch to the Museum so that we may reserve an eating area for you, upon availability, which includes wheelchair access if needed. If your group is coming for an afternoon program only, we ask that children eat their lunch before arriving. Groups will not be admitted before their program time. Please note that children s groups are not permitted in the Ice Cream Parlour when it is open unless the group is purchasing food and is accompanied by an adult. Do not bring bulky knapsacks. If your group is staying for lunch, have all lunches in a bag or box labelled with the name of your school. The adults with your group will be asked to carry them to the on-site lunch area. Preparation Divide your class into groups of 10 12 children, before leaving your school. Escorting adults, supplied by the group, must accompany in a ratio of 1 adult per 10 12 students, when the participants are under 19 years of age. Children should dress in clothing appropriate to the seasonal weather since some time is spent outdoors. If school regulations permit, please supply each student with a large legible tag bearing the name of the student, school and teacher. The Museum must be informed in advance of any ESL students or students with special needs attending the program. Our programming staff have developed Social Story/Reading Material for each 4
of the school programs offered. This material will be emailed to you when requested. Students with special needs will be able to prepare in advance before your field trip. If carpooling, emphasize to the adults the importance of arriving before the start of the program. You are advised to give car pool drivers copies of the enclosed directions to the Museum, and the noted parking area. For those registered for 2 programs, staying more than 3 hours, parking passes must be picked up from the front office. Ensure parents received and read the Group Leader letter. Remind parents about electronic device procedures. Safety Accompanying adults are responsible for the behaviour of the children in their group and are to remain with them at all times. Please familiarize the adults and children with the enclosed Good Manners at Burnaby Village Museum. Please bring at least one adult for each ten children. To maintain the safety of our site accompanying adults will not be allowed to enter and exit the site during your visit. Please notify staff upon your arrival of any late arriving/early leaving students. Students must be escorted to the washrooms by an adult during the program. Washrooms are located on Hill Street (across from the General Store), at the Carousel and in the Orientation Plaza. Before and after your program, do not wander about the museum grounds or enter other exhibits. Your group will only be able to visit the exhibits used for the program booked. The Museum reserves the right to book a second group in the same reservation time, space permitting. The limit is 30 children, 10 12 children per each accompanying adult leader. Depending on the day of your visit, Museum facilities may be closed, except those used for your program. 5
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM Fairground Physics is a 90-minute school program that encourages students to practice scientific inquiry in fun new ways focusing on principles of mathematics and physical sciences to understand the inner workings of the C.W. Parker Carousel #119. While most children experience carousels as a thrilling amusement ride, this program aims to engage students using a familiar structure to understand what can be abstract concepts of centripetal force, simple machines, and measurement. Fairground Physics has been developed for grades 3-7 students. During the program, students will: Get a private tour inside the dog house where they will see up close the machinery that makes the carousel work. Conduct simple experiments using a lazy Susan and a pendulum to demonstrate forces. Measure the circumference of the carousel, practicing estimation and comparison. Ride the carousel, making predictions and deductions about what they are feeling and why. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Identify the wheel and axle as a simple machine that enables objects to rotate. Understand speed as distance travelled over a certain length of time. Recognize that forces are always acting upon objects. Recognize how objects that rotate exert centripetal force. Understand that measurements can be standard or non-standard. Demonstrate an understanding of circles. 6
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS Fairground Physics relates to the following BC Curriculum prescribed learning outcomes: GRADE 3 Science Mathematics GRADE 4 GRADE 5 Science GRADE 7 Science Mathematics Processes of Science ask questions that foster investigations and explorations relevant to the content measure objects and events Shape and Space: Measurement demonstrate an understanding of measuring length (cm, m) Statistics and Probability: Data Analysis collect first-hand data and organize it to answer questions Processes of Science make predictions, supported by reasons and relevant to the content Processes of Science identify variables that can be changed in an experiment evaluate the fairness of a given experiment Physical Sciences: Forces and Simple Machines demonstrate how various forces can affect the movement of objects demonstrate mechanical advantage of simple machines, including lever, wedge, pulley, ramp, screw, and wheel design a compound machine describe applications of simple and compound machines used in daily life in BC communities Processes of Science test a hypothesis by planning and conducting an experiment that controls for two or more variables create models that help to explain scientific concepts and hypotheses Shape and Space: Measurement demonstrate an understanding of circles 7
POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES English Language Arts Visual Arts Mathematics Write a paragraph using your own words to describe the physical sensations you felt while riding the carousel. Graphic Organizers o Create a T-Chart to compare your first ride with your second ride on the carousel. What differences did can you list for each ride? How did each ride feel physically different? o Create a four-square vocabulary chart with a central cell to write a new word you learned during the program, and four outer cells to write its definition, synonym, antonym, and use the word in a sentence. Refer to the Carousel Technical Glossary or the Carousel Physics Glossary in the Teacher s Guide for ideas. o Create a cause and effect chart to describe any of the experiments you tried during the program: Lazy Susan activity, Pendulum activity, riding the carousel. Draw yourself riding the carousel demonstrating the forces acting upon your body (for example, using directional arrows and labels). Create a diagram of the carousel demonstrating why some horses rotate faster than others. Create a diagram of the carousel showing how the wheel and axle enable rotation. Create a formula to calculate how fast you were moving on the carousel. Calculate the speed of the carousel in kilometres per hour. Calculate the speed of the outer horses versus the inner horses. Refer to the Parker Carousel #119 Fact Sheet in the Teacher s Guide for stats like circumference, diameter, RPMs, etc. Daily Physical Activity Crack the whip is an easy way to experience centripetal force. Crack the whip is typically played on ice but can also be played on dry land. Students in groups of at least three hold hands. One student gets to be the inside person and starts to swing all the other students around in a circle. The faster the group starts to run, the harder the inside student must pull to keep the group swinging in a circle. The student on the outside will feel an inward pull on his or her arm as they are swung in a circle. This pull is centripetal force. The pull will get bigger as the whip goes faster or as more students join the whip, increasing the radius of the circle. Please use caution when trying this with your students. 8
TANGRAM PUZZLE A tangram is a puzzle game that originated in China during the 1800s. It rapidly spread to North America and Europe, and became very popular with both children and adults. Each tangram puzzle has seven pieces, also called tans, cut from one large square two large triangles, one medium-sized triangle, two small triangles, one square and one parallelogram. It is a puzzle that requires imagination and creativity. Instructions Suggested Activities 1. Carefully cut out your pieces. Colour them if you want them to look more attractive. How many triangles do you have? What are the names of the two other pieces (parallelogram, square)? 2. The traditional way to play tangram is to try to make silhouettes of objects. You must use all the pieces each time. Each piece must touch another piece at one point or more. The pieces must not overlap. Create a carousel horse. See how many different kinds of horses you and your classmates can come up with. Time yourself to see how quickly you can make these shapes: Experiment with making shapes of your own. Look at your shapes. For each one, count the number of sides and the number of triangles you have made inside. 9
TANGRAM PUZZLE 10
CAROUSEL COLOURING SHEET The restoration of Parker #119 was made possible by numerous volunteers and donors. Each horse on the carousel was named by a specific sponsor. Vanessa Sponsor: Parkland Ventures Ltd. Name: Named by Gary Santini for his granddaughter Vanessa Munro, born August 6th 1987 in Burnaby, with the hopes she would spend many happy hours on her horse. Valiant Sponsor: Paula V. Tanchyk Name: He looked like a battle-horse, full of courage, so I thought the name Valiant suited him. Create Your Own Carousel Instructions 1. Colour the horses, glue them to rigid paper (construction paper or cardboard), and cut them out. 2. Create a carousel using two paper plates and at least 4 straws or popsicle sticks (1 for the centre pole, 3 for the drop rods). 3. Affix the horses to the straws or popsicle sticks using glue or tape. Materials Glue or tape Scissors Felts or crayons Straw or popsicle sticks (4) Paper plates (2) 11
Vanessa Valiant 12
GOOD MANNERS AT BURNABY VILLAGE MUSEUM Please review the following guidelines with your class and group leaders. They are included to help make your field trip as pleasant and educational as possible. 1. Accompanying adults/group leaders are requested to remain with their groups at all times as they are responsible for the behavior of the participants. They may also be needed to assist in emergency or unexpected situations. 2. We ask that there be no running within the Museum s grounds. The boardwalks and stairs can be slippery (especially in rainy weather). A child might fall, sustaining a serious injury. 3. Please give your full attention to the costumed display attendant as he/she is speaking. They have important and interesting information to share with you. 4. Please do not touch things unless invited to do so by a costumed display attendant. WHY DO WE ASK YOU NOT TO TOUCH? One purpose of a museum is to preserve and protect objects for future generations to see. We hope that the objects you will see during your visit will still be here for participants to see in the future. An object may appear very strong and sturdy and you may wonder how one gentle touch could hurt it. Imagine, however, if everyone who came to the Museum thought this and touched it. It would be damaged in a very short time. Even metal is not as sturdy as it looks. The tiny trace of moisture from your finger can, in time, eat away and rust the strongest steel! So please remember: you all play an important role in preserving and protecting the objects in the Museum. Thank you Enjoy your visit! 13
Appendix A: Carousel Technical Glossary & Diagram APPENDICES Carousel A rotating amusement machine which carries riders on fanciful horses and sometimes other creatures. Also known as a merry-go-round, flying horses, carry-us-all, roundabout, flying jenny, steam riding gallery, hobby horses, whirligig and steam circus. Centre Pole A wood or metal centre support from which the entire machine is supported. Cheese Block Round block at centre pole, from which the sweeps extend. Dog House The enclosure at the centre of the carousel that houses the machinery. Drop Rods Metal rods that extend down from the sweeps and hold up the platform. Eccentrics Crank shafts supported by the sweeps. They pull the horse poles to make the horses jump. Horse Poles Poles that hang from the eccentrics and sweeps to support the horses. Main Bearing Rotating bearing mounted at the top of the centre pole. Stays that extend from the main bearing support the carousel. Motor Electric motor housed inside the Dog House. Platform The platform is suspended by the drop rods. Rounding Boards Long panels, carved and painted, that cover the upper outside rim of the carousel. Scenery Panels Decorated boards adorned with carvings, paintings or mirrors. Used to cover the machinery housed in the centre of the carousel. Sister Gear A series of pins driven by a gear attached to the motor shaft assembly that causes the carousel to rotate. Also known as the ring gear. Stays Support rods extending from the main bearing that hold up the sweeps. Sweeps These horizontal, square poles are the backbone of the machine. They extend from the centre pole to the outer rim. 14
Fairground Physics 15
Appendix B: Fairground Physics Glossary Acceleration Objects that are changing their speed or their direction are said to be accelerating. The rate at which the speed or direction changes is referred to as acceleration. Some amusement park rides (such as roller coasters) are characterized by rapid changes in speed and/or direction. These rides have large accelerations. Rides such as the carousel result in small accelerations; the speed and direction of the riders change gradually. Balanced and Unbalanced forces A balanced force results whenever two or more forces act upon an object in such a way as to exactly counteract each other. As you sit in your seat at this moment, the seat pushes upward with a force equal in strength and opposite in direction to the force of gravity. These two forces are said to balance each other, causing you to remain at rest. If the seat is suddenly pulled out from under you, then you experience an unbalanced force. There is no longer an upward seat force to balance the downward pull of gravity, so you accelerate to the ground. Centrifugal Force An object traveling in a circle behaves as if it is experiencing an outward force. This force is known as the centrifugal force. It is important to note that the centrifugal force does not actually exist. Nevertheless, it appears quite real to the object being rotated. For instance, a child on a carousel is not experiencing any real force outward, but they must exert a force to keep from flying off. To sum up, if something is moving in a circle, there must be a force acting on it somewhere to make it turn, otherwise it would go in a straight line. So look at the situation carefully and figure out where the inward pushing or pulling force is coming from. That s the centripetal force. Centripetal Force Motion along a curve or in a circle is always caused by a centripetal force. This is a force that pushes an object in an inward direction. The moon orbits the earth in a circular motion because a force of gravity pulls on the moon in an inward direction toward the center of its orbit. In a roller coaster loop, riders are pushed inwards toward the center of the loop by forces resulting from the car seat (at the loop s bottom) and by gravity (at the loop s top). Energy Even if it s just a simple machine you are using, it must move in order to do its work. But it can t move without energy. Energy provides the power that makes things move or do work. Energy comes from different sources, such as gasoline, coal, natural gas, food and even you. 16
Force A force is a push or a pull acting upon an object. Forces result from interactions between two objects. Most interactions involve contact. If you hit the wall, the wall hits you back. The contact interaction between your hand and the wall results in a mutual push upon both objects. The wall becomes nicked (if hit hard enough) and your hand hurts. Bumper cars experience mutual forces acting between them due to contact during a collision. Some forces can act from a distance without actual contact between the two interacting objects. Gravity is one such force. On a free fall ride, there is a force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and your body even though the Earth and your body are not in contact. Friction Friction is a force that resists the motion of an object. Friction results from the close interaction between two surfaces that are sliding across each other. When you slam on your brakes and your car skids to a stop with locked wheels, it is the force of friction that brings it to a stop. Friction resists the car s motion. Gravitational Force Any two objects with mass attract each other with a type of force known as a gravitational force. The strength of this force depends upon the mass of the two objects and the distance between them. For objects with masses as large as the earth and the sun, these forces are sizeable and have tremendous influence upon the subsequent motion. For objects such as two persons sitting in a theatre, the force of gravitational attraction is so small that it is insignificant. Objects on the earth experience noticeable attractions with the earth due to the earth s large mass. Inertia Inertia is a tendency of an object to resist change in its state of motion. More massive objects have more inertia; that is, they have more tendency to resist changes in the way they are moving. An elephant has a lot of inertia, for example. If it is at rest, it offers a large resistance to changes in its state of rest, and so it s difficult to move an elephant. On the other hand, a pencil has a small amount of inertia. It s easy to move a pencil from its state of rest. More massive objects have more inertia and thus require more force in order to change their state of motion. Mass The mass of an object is a measurement of the amount of material in a substance. Mass refers to how much stuff is there. Elephants are very massive, since they contain a lot of stuff. 17
Newton s First Law of Motion An object at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line will remain at rest or in the same uniform motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. This is also known as the law of inertia. Newton s Second Law of Motion The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the total unbalanced force exerted on the object, and is inversely proportional to the mass of the object (in other words, as mass increases, the acceleration has to decrease). The acceleration of an object moves in the same direction as the total force. This is also known as the law of acceleration. Newton s Third Law of Motion If one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the object body. This is also known as the law of interaction. Speed Speed is a measurement of how fast an object is moving. Fast-moving objects can cover large distances in a small amount of time. They are said to have a high speed. A roller coaster car moving at 60 miles per hour would be able to cover a distance of 60 miles in one hour if it could maintain this pace. Weightlessness Amusement park rides often produce sensations of weightlessness. These sensations result when riders no longer feel an external force acting upon their bodies. At the top of the tower of a free-fall ride, a 100-pound rider would feel 100 pounds of force from the seat pushing as an external force upon her body. The rider feels her normal weight. Yet, as she falls from the tower, the seat has fallen out from under her. She no longer feels the external force of the seat and subsequently has a brief sensation of weightlessness. She has not lost any weight, but feels as though she has because of the absence of the seat force. In this context, weightlessness is a sensation and not an actual change in weight. Source: http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/glossary.html 18
Appendix C: More on Centripetal Force The world is full of things that move in circles spinning tops, whirling wheels, fans, discs, propellers. Yet forces act only in a straight line. How then do these things rotate? The answer is that every spinning object is constantly changing direction. The turning force pushes or pulls it in a straight line. But there is also another force, continuously pulling it in a new direction, inward toward the circle s centre. This force is called the centripetal force which may be just the attachment to the centre of the circle, like the spokes in a bicycle wheel, or maybe an invisible force like gravity. If the centripetal force stops, there is nothing to pull the object around in a new direction, and it will at once fly off in a straight line. This is why you are thrown to one side when a car speeds around a bend. Path of Inertia Centrifugal Force Centripetal Force Center of Rotion Path of Ball 19
Appendix D: Simple Machines Simple Machine: A machine with few or no moving parts. Simple machines make work easier. Examples: Screw, Wheel and Axle, Wedge, Pulley, Ramp, Lever Compound Machine: Two or more simple machines working together to make work easier. Examples: Wheelbarrow, Can Opener, Bicycle Ramp: A ramp (inclined plane), helps us to move heavy objects more easily, but we have to move them further to complete the task. We use less force, however, we have to apply the force over a greater distance. We use stairs or ramps to walk up and down. If an incline is very steep, steps are cut into the incline to make it easier for us. Examples: Staircase, Wheelchair Ramp Lever: A straight rod or board that pivots on a point known as a fulcrum. The secret of the lever is the increased distance over which the force moves, i.e., the arm length of the lever, which is determined by the position of the fulcrum (pivot). It is the same principle as the inclined plane - the greater the distance over which the force must be applied, the smaller the force required to do the work (lift the load). Examples: Door on Hinges, Seesaw, Hammer, Bottle Opener Pulley: A wheel that usually has a groove around the outside edge. This groove is for a rope or belt to move around the pulley. Pulling down on the rope can lift an object attached to the rope. Work is made easier because pulling down on the rope is made easier due to gravity. Examples: Flag Pole, Crane, Mini-Blinds 20
Screw: A screw is an inclined plane wound about a nail. The ridges are called the thread of a screw. These threads cut a groove in the wood as you turn the screw, making it hold very tightly. The distance between the threads depends on the slope of the inclined plane - the steeper the slope, the wider the thread. Screws with less distance between the threads are easier to turn. Examples: Bolt, Spiral Staircase Wedge: A wedge consists of two back-to-back inclined planes. A wedge looks like an inclined plane but it works differently. It can either hold things together, as in a doorstop or nail, or it can split things apart, as in an axe or chisel. Examples: the cutting edge of scissors, knives and axes Wheel and Axle: A wheel and axle is a lever that is able to rotate through a complete circle. The circle turned by the wheel is much larger than the circle turned by the axle. The increased distance over which the force is applied as the wheel turns results in a more powerful force on the axle, which moves a shorter distance. Examples: Door Knob, Faucet Handle, Steering Wheel 21
Appendix E: Historical Background Historical Beginnings Parker Carousel #119 was built in the so-called Golden Age of the carousel (1880-1930) but the history and origins of carousels goes back much further. Although primitive forms of the carousel ride can be traced to the 5th-century Byzantine Empire, the word carousel derives from the 12th-century test of horsemanship used by the Arabs. These contests were introduced to Europe during the Crusades and became a common means of training cavalry officers. This explains the Italian term garosellos (little war), which soon developed into the more recognized word we use today. These training exercises involved horsemen trying to spear a ring suspended in the air while riding towards it, often at a full gallop. These exercises spread to France where they evolved into popular contests of equestrian skill. By the early 17th century, great tournaments known in France as carrousels were being staged by royal courts all over Europe. The greatest of these was Le Grand Carrousel, a lavish equestrian extravaganza staged by King Louis XIV in the 1660s. To prepare for these tournaments, young nobles rode wooden horses that turned around a centre pole. As they did, they would spear rings with a lance or sword. This allowed them not to wear out their live horses and to keep them fresh for the tournament. This training tool is considered the father of the modern carousel as it became a popular amusement ride among the peasantry of many European countries. Over the years, the rotating ride took many forms, and included carvings of farm animals, horses, wild beasts, chariots, bicycles and boats. Variations of carousel devices spread to North America where they appeared as early as the beginning of the 19th century. All of the various forms were limited in their size and complexity by their power source. To make them go around it took a man, mule or horse to push, pull or crank the mechanism. This changed in the 1860s when Frederick Savage, an English engineer, developed a steam engine mounted in the centre of a carousel and complemented this with a mechanism that made the horses jump in an up-and-down motion. As a result, carousels became larger and turned faster and more uniformly, and carried more riders. This innovation propelled the carousel into common use as its popularity spread far and wide. This popularity soon came to America along with the elaborate European carving traditions kept alive by immigrant carvers. Some of these men began manufacturing carousels while others took employment with the growing number of carousel manufacturers. By the advent of the First World War, there were ten major carousel manufacturing companies and numerous smaller shops in the United States. This was the height of the Golden Age of carousels when these amusement rides reached their ultimate sophistication. They became elaborate and intricately carved examples of folk art. No less than 3,000 hand-carved wooden carousels (estimates range up to 10,000) were produced in the United States before hard times and new technologies ended their Golden Age in the 1930s. 22
Parker #119 Arrives on the Scene C.W. Parker Carousel #119 was built in 1912 at Leavenworth Kansas by C.W. Parker and was the 119th carousel made by the company. The Parker Amusement Company specialized in portable carousels intended for use by the many traveling carnivals in the western United States. Over the years, the company produced approximately 1,000 carousels. The exact number is uncertain because Parker rebranded many of carousels in the early years. Only 16 of Parker s carousels are known to be in operation today. The others were destroyed by fire or natural disaster, or broken up and sold at auction for the rare and unique art form they are. Parker #119 was originally sold in 1913 to Mr. F.K. Leggett of Houston Texas for $5,886.00 and was originally equipped with a steam engine. It toured Texas for two years with the Lone Star Circus. Then in 1915, the machine was shipped back to the factory. It is believed that the machine was rebuilt by the factory, had some fancier horses and heavier rounding boards added. The jumping mechanism may have been changed at that time as well. Some of the horses are c. 1917 and some c. 1920-22. In 1936 it was purchased again, and began operation at Happlyland in Vancouver. There it remained until Happyland was demolished in 1957. Parker #119 was then moved to Playland where it operated until the late eighties. Community Restoration After it had entertained the children of the Lower Mainland for 52 years, the owners of the Parker #119 decided that it was too expensive to maintain. It was to be replaced by a new version with fibreglass horses and broken up for sale to art and antique collectors in the United States. Venus Solano, Doug McCalum, and other locals came together to save the Carousel, forming the Lower Mainland Association of Friends of the Vancouver Carousel. In May 1989, Burnaby Village Museum agreed to provide a home for the Carousel, and the Friends, led by President Don Wrigley, set about raising the $350,000 needed to purchase the machine. With a lot of hard work, the help of the Government of British Columbia, and the support of the Municipality of Burnaby, the carousel was purchased. Funds were also raised to pay for the restoration, and volunteers put in 25,000 hours of work stripping, sanding, and painting the horses and other wooden parts, and rebuilding the drive mechanism. Finally, Burnaby agreed to build a new pavilion for the Carousel as a Centennial project. Installed and re-assembled in 1993, this beautifully rebuilt machine now calls the Burnaby Village Museum home, allowing us all to share the legacy left by the Golden Age of wooden carousels. 23
Appendix F: Parker Carousel #119 Fact Sheet Age: Built 1912-1913. Rebuilt in 1917. Builder: The 119th machine produced by C.W. Parker Carnival Supply Company, Leavenworth, Kansas (near Kansas City). Original Price: $5,385.00 First Operated: Lone Star Circus, Houston, Texas. Last Operated: Playland, Vancouver, BC, 1990. Restored: By The Friends of the Carousel, a non-profit society formed specifically for this purpose. Purchase Price 1990: $330,000.00 Current Value: This machine is irreplaceable. There are fewer than 200 handmade wooden carousels still operating in North America; about 6,000 were made originally. Vital Statistics: There are 36 wooden horses and 1 chariot plus 4 cast aluminum ponies. The Carousel has 500 major parts, including 14 rounding boards, 14 shields, 52 scenery panels, 140 mirrors, 28 stationary brass poles and 858 11-watt lights. Weight: 16 metric tons or 16,000kg empty (14 ½ tons) and 19 metric tons loaded (17 tons). Each horse weighs between 28-37 kg (75-100 pounds). Diameter: 12.19 metres (40 feet) at the platform Outer circumference: 38.1 metres (125 feet) Inner circumference: 23.34 metres 24
Platform width: 2.38 metres Height: 8.84 metres (29 feet) at the centre Speed: Approximately 5 revolutions per minute Power: A three-phase electrical motor capable of 5 horsepower. The Carousel was originally powered by a steam engine. Music: Provided by a 1925 Wurlitzer Band Organ capable of duplicating the sound of a large military band. It can generate up to 90 decibels of sound. It is stocked with 60 music rolls and a total of 600 songs. Additional Trivia: All of the horses (except the little chariot ponies) are jumpers, meaning that they move up and down. During restoration, volunteers stripped as many as seven coats of park paint off each horse, applied when the Carousel was at Playland. After the stripping process, each horse was covered with a layer of shellac base and with three layers of white primer. Volunteers then applied the paint, which was in turn covered with four layers of semi-gloss Varathane. On some horses, as many as five coats of paint were applied to achieve the proper hue. In short, each horse has 9-13 layers of coatings. Some horses have as many as 16 different colours. Like all American-built carousels, #119 rotates in a counter clockwise direction. In contrast, English carousels, also known as roundabouts, rotate the opposite way. 25
Appendix G 26
Appendix H: Additional Resources MATERIALS IN PRINT Greenberg, Dan. Amusement Park Science. Philadelphia: Chelsea Clubhouse Books, 2003. From the publisher: Amusement park rides can spin you in circles, turn you upside down, and even make you feel weightless. Learn the role science plays in rides such as bumper cars, carousels, and roller coasters. Hann, Judith. How Science Works. Pleasantville, NY: Reader s Digest Association, 1991. Grade 4-8. A visually enticing, large-format volume that aims to involve adults and children in the exploration of scientific principles through hands-on experimentation. Each of the six sections matter, energy, force, and motion, light and sound, air and water, electricity and magnetism, and electronics and computers combines a lively, understandable text with a number of activities and projects that illustrate the topic. Interspersed throughout are discovery sections that focus on individuals or events of scientific importance. Levine, Shar and Leslie Johnstone. Mighty Machines. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, 2004. Grades 3-5. Short chapters present brief introductions to and experiments about levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, inclined planes, wedges, and screws. O Leary, Denyse. What are Newton s Laws of Motion? New York, NT: Crabtree Publishing, 2011. This book examines how Sir Isaac Newton developed three basic laws that govern the way in which objects move. The book also explains how Newton s laws have influenced modern science and technology in areas such as sports and transportation. Oxlade, Chris. Machines. London: Lorenz Books, 2001. Learn About is a series of graphic-rich children s reference books similar to the style of the Eyewitness series. Smoothey, Marion. Shapes. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1993. Included in this resource are many ideas for teachers to introduce the concept of shapes. The pages provide colourful illustrations and easy to follow directions for activities, games, and puzzles. Some of the topics included in this book are as follows: shapes from circles, shapes from straight lines, polygons (names of polygons, regular polygons, convex polygons), and the tangram. Way, Steve. Simple Machines: Discover Science Through Facts and Fun. Pleasantville, NY - Gareth Stevens, 2009. Covers the six basic simple machines, and examines simple machines at home and in the workplace. Wiese, Jim. Roller Coaster Science: 50 Wet, Wacky, Wild, Dizzy Experiments about Things Kids Like Best. New York: Jim Wiese, 1994. Roller Coaster Science is designed to introduce young readers to simple physics, chemistry, math, earth science, biology and astronomy through a variety of science activities. The book is divided into four main parts: Playground Activities, Amusement Park Rides, Sports and Recreational Activities and Fun Foods and Games of Chance. The experiments included in each section use real-life situations such as popping popcorn, going down a slide, throwing a frisbee. 27
Websites History History of Parker Carousel #119 http://www.youtube.com/user/bbyvillage?blend=6&ob=5#p/a/u/1/odzmxen2tzm A short video clip provides a historical overview by staff and volunteers of C.W. Parker Carousel #119 at the Burnaby Village Museum. Photographic details of each Parker Carousel #119 horse on the Heritage Burnaby website Burnaby Village Museum background information on Parker Carousel #119 http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/en/main/village/carousel.html Science Amusement Park Physics educational interactive http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/parkphysics.html Students peruse a map of an amusement park, clicking on various rides. A mad scientist character covers different physics principle in explaining how each works, including the carousel. Includes suggestions for simple experiments and information on the history of various rides. The Fairground Internet http://library.thinkquest.org/c002926/science/science.html Sections on the science, history, safety, accessibility of, and careers in amusement parks include educational interactive, background information, timelines, interviews, etc. 28
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