| A DAY WITHOUT GRAVITY : AN EDUCATIONAL TRIP TO SUNWAY LAGOON THEMEPARK |
| SCE 553: Creativity and Creative Teaching in Science |
| |
| PREPARED BY: HAIRUL ANUAR BIN SOBIKIN 2006825903 ED227U8A SUBMITTED TO: DR BEH KIAN LIM |
A DAY WITHOUT GRAVITY
SUNWAY LAGOON
Sunway lagoon is a famous theme park in Malaysia. It is located in the Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya about 45 minutes from UiTM Shah Alam. It is the first fully-integrated theme resort including a 5-Star hotel, a grand shopping mall, and other facilities. Sunway Lagoon is officially opened on April 29, 1993 by Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed. It is now 16 years old, and the numbers of the visitors are increasing every year. Sunway lagoon is not only a favorite park for Malaysian, but it also receives a large number of foreign visitors especially from the Middle East.
This 80 acre theme park is separated into 6 major themed lands. Each land shows their own exciting attractions in term of activities and amazing landscape. The themes were listed below:
THEME 1: Extreme Park
THEME 2: Sunway Wild Life
THEME 3: World of Adventure
THEME 4: Wild Wild West
THEME 5: Waters of Africa
THEME 6: Sunway Surf Beach
Mr Duck: Mascott of Sunway lagoon
THEME 1: Extreme Park
1. Paintball Shooting Range
2. Wall Climbing
3. Air Terrain vehicle
4. Paintball War Zone
5. Kayaking
6. Jet boat
7. Swan ride
8. Flying Fox
The activities in this extreme park are the same as the ordinary extreme park. I had experience the Paintball shooting, wall climbing, kayaking, and using flying fox. Thus, the extreme park in the Sunway lagoon did not get my attention.
My suggestion to people who want to experience those activities is: you better go to the ordinary extreme park. This is because the facilities in the Sunway Lagoon are not great as compared to the other specialized extreme park. In Shah Alam, the best park is at Section 13, near the Shah Alam Stadium. In addition, the fee for this park is lower compared to the Sunway Lagoon ticket.
THEME 2: Sunway Wild Life1. Rimba
2. Village
3. Aviary
4. Jungle trail
5. Big Cat Walk
6. Pet village
7. Wildlife Theatre
8. Elephant Walk
Study biology make me interested to enter the Sunway Wild Park. But the ticket not allowed us to do so. I just observe the beautiful of the creatures through the several cage at the main enterance. Most of us were focusing on the adventorous activity and none of us enter this Sunway Wild Life. In addition, we had been go to the field trip for ecology and biodiversity subject at the previous semester.
The only wild life that I can observe closely is the Malayan Tiger. The cage is about 50 meter square and completed with the artificial waterfall, river and jetty. Unfortunately, I feel that the tiger is mingling around the cage in a very unhappy and not comfortable with their condition. Their cage is big , but it is not the same as the real place for them to live.
THEME 3: World of Adventure
1. 
Wagon Wheel
Wagon Wheel 2. Fun Fair
3. Lost City Of Gold
4. Tiger Adventure
5. Pirate’s revenge
6. Apache Pots The cave
7. Pedestrian Suspension bridge
8. Tomahawk
In this World of Adventure, I can find myself in euphoria state. Yes, I am very excited riding the “Lost of Gold”, “Pirates Revenge”, “Apache Pots of the Cave” and the ”Tomahawk”. The first activity is pirates Revenge. I did not scream loudly because I already bear in mind in what will happen to me. I am the second group riding the “pirates Revenge”. If I am the first group, I think I will scream louder than everyone. Here I found that mental preparation and setting is more important. I can control my level of excitement and prevent myself to scream loud. Although in the “pirates Revenge” is my first experience to G-Force, but for me I got other values: about the mind setting.
For the second activity, “Lost of Gold” train which I never know what will happen to me strengthen my previous hypothesis. In the beginning, the train looks not dangerous, but in the middle of the journey I found my expectation is wrong. the railways is 90 degree and now I really express my very loud scream. Unexpected scream comes out naturally. In this train, I found that my hypothesis about mind power is right. Opss, there is no right or wrong in science. I only can say “For the time being, my hypothesis is right until I found some evidence to reject the hypothesis”. Now I understand the “Natural of Science “subject that being thought by Dr Beh in the First semester.
The tomahawk machine is the 360 degree rotation killing machine. I am so excited to feel the rotation, and I found it is so scary. I really excited and feel the “free fall” phenomenon here. This is because; the safety belt is not tight for me. At the top of the rotation, I found myself unlocked. I was falling down for 5 inch. And my heart start to boom-bang-boom-bang and it was the very unforgettable incident. This “Tomahawk” warn me about my bad behavior “driving without safety belt”. Now I realized, going for the trip not only teach me about gravity, but also about other aspect in my life.
From left: View from the top of ‘Wgoon Wheel” and the “Apache Pots” spinning to gives G-Force experience.
From Left: Very long 2 KM “Pedestrian Suspension Walk” and “Tomahawk” giant machine which rotate 360 degree without insane.
THEME 4: Wild Wild West
1. Vultures
2. Bufallo Bill
3. Coaster Niagara Falls Flume Ride
4. Chief Crazy Horse Carousel
5. Colorado Splash
6. Butch Cassidy trail
7. Grand Canyon River Rapids
8. Alamo (Game Archade)
Riding “Grand Canyon River Rapids” allows me to feel the “ancient log transport” through the specially 80 degree artificial river. There was no machine and no need to paddle to move the log along the track. The only power that moves the log is the water. I am so impressed to know the power of the water can move the heavy material without any help. Now I understand the effectiveness of trafficking the log through the river.
The power of water moves the “Grand Canyon River Rapids” and rotating “Buffalo Bills”
THEME 5 : Waters of Africa
1. Zulu Walk
2. Cameroon Climb
3. African Phytom
4. Tube Slides
5. Splash down Dock
6. Congo Challenge
7. Kalahari Kids
8. Little Zimbabwe
9. Lake kariba
10. Mall Cove
11. Wave Pool
12. Wave pool stage
13. Voodoo Adventure
14. Zamboal River
15. Victoria Falls
16. Harbor Deck
THEME 6: Sunway Surf Beach1. Body Wash area
2. Promonade
3. Surt Beach
4. Pergolas
5. Island
6. Surf Deck
7. Surf Deck
8. Gang Slide
9. Volcano
I am not interested with both “Waters of Africa” and “Sunway Surf Beach”. Again , I would like to advise better places for Beach Surfing. The Natural Beach, Pantai Lidor, Port Dickson, Pantai Klebang, Pulau Pangkor and lots more natural beach in Malaysia is better than this artificial beach. I just walk alongside the Sunway Surf Beach to see the foreigner especially from Arabic country playing with their family. I think they only interested with the water compared to me, who only interested to the giant anti Gravity machine.
Here I meet a family from Yemen. Talking to foreigner using my bad English is so embarrassing. They are in vacation, summer school break which take about 2 weeks. Their children were very independent and I found they are very happy in this theme park. I guess in their country, there is no theme park like the Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia. I am very satisfied with the meeting and my new international friends are so rich with smiling. I come to Sunway to find “Gravity-in-action” and get extra bonus “new Friend from Yemen”. This is a very nice study trip.
FISH SPA
Fish Spa is not related with the gravity, and most of my friends did not take seriously into this activity. But for me, as a biology student, this small fish really attract my attention. When we put our foot inside the fish tank, the small fish rush towards our foot to “eat” the dirt and sucking our tiny foot hair. The fish is small, so it seems to be not dangerous to our foot. But they are too many and makes the therapy full of laugh for those who never tried this theraphy.
The therapy is relaxing and the fish ‘massage’ the foot without any problem. The most interesting part is when we look at the tiny fish surrounding the foot happily and actively without any problem. It is so relaxing and amazing. Since the fee for this theraphy is too expensive, I cannot let the fish to ‘kiss’ my foot. But I enjoyed sitting about an hour at the tank and watching the foreigner experience this wonderful activity.
THE ACCELEROMETERThe picture show a sample of a handmade accelerator. The accelerometer is subject to two force: gravitational force and ground reaction force.This accelerometer is made by a plastic Malaysia Flag, a smooth spring, a pendulum ball and cellophone tape. The cost to make this accelerometer is less than RM 5.00.
The accelerometer is used to measure the G-Force along the verticle axis. Below is the reading of accelerometer from some of the activity in the Sunway lagoon:
| Activity | Accelerometer reading |
| “Lost of Gold”, and | -1 |
| “Pirates Revenge”, | Free fall |
| “Apache Pots of the Cave” | -1 |
| ”Tomahawk”. | -3 |
| “Buffalo Bills” | -1 |
Since the accelerometer is a handmade accelerometer, the reading is not accurate. But I can really understand the concept of G-Force after get the reading and experience the activity. I had ride the Tomahawk, Niagara Falls, Pirate revenge, and Lost City of Gold and I really enjoyed experience the G-Force +2 from these wonderful ride. The result above is taken from Physics education group because my group’s accelerometer is not functioning well during the wonderful day.
THE IMPORTANT OF GRAVITY
What is gravity? Gravity is an invisible pulling force between two objects. Gravity can be found between everything and everywhere on earth, stars and spaces. Although gravity is in space and keeps our planet and all others in orbit, people in space do not always feel the effects of gravity and can float around.
Gravity was discovered 3 centuries ago by a mathematician and physicist named Sir Isaac Newton. He discovered that there is a specific force that is required to change the speed or direction of something that is moving and it is the same forces that cause apples to fall from trees.
The amount of gravity that an object has depends on a three things: the place, the mass and the distance. The amount of gravity varies from place to place on earth. The mass of the objects also affects the amount of the gravity. The bigger the object mass the more gravity it will have. Another factor that affects the gravity is the distance between the two objects. The closer they are, the stronger the gravity will be.
Gravity is important in our daily life. Gravity brings us back down to the ground when we jump. It stops us from floating into space. Gravity keeps other object in order, keeps the earth on the orbit, keeps the earth near enough to the sun and not freezing, gravity keeps water, atmosphere, and other earth inhabitant to be in their places and pulls the rain down to the earth and watering the plants. Gravity also allows material separated according to their densities. All of these phenomenons are will never happened without gravity. Gravity makes our life easier.
A DAY WITHOUT GRAVITY
Human still can life without gravity. The basic thing to human is water, oxygen and nutrients. As long as these three elements can be provided, human still can life without gravity. The first thing to happen to human if gravity is “lost” is we will float like the astronaut in the space.
Humans are created to adapt for life in earth can handle the constant force that gravity applies to the body. The thickness of the bones and the muscles is adapted and related to the gravity. Blood pressure and circulation also need gravity to circulate throughout the body. Living without gravity for a long time would affect human body. NASA claimed that the effect of living in microgravity can take years to recover from. Astronaut will lose muscle and bone mass very quickly and it takes years to replenish.
Brain will naturally degenerate other unnecessary muscle, hormone and other biological element if we not use it for the long time. That is the basic principle to explain the effect of living without gravity to human. Human can live without gravity, but God creates human as the best creature to adapt with the gravity in the earth. Without gravity, human will suffer with biological and physical effect.
CAN LIFE EXIST WITHOUT GRAVITY
Gravity is everywhere in the universe and every molecule produce its own gravity. The statement provides a simple hypothesis: a universe without gravity does not exist. Even in the space, the astronaut still bounded with gravity but in very small amount of gravity and sometimes considered as zero gravity.
In the term of existence of living thing, the stars, planets, atmosphere and other system will not exist in the present condition. It will be a cloud of dust in the universe. The orbit of each planet is due to gravity. Earth located exactly not too far and not too near with the sun. It enable life exist and not freezing. The source of energy in the universe is the sun and it’s really required the gravity to work. Without sun, there will be no source of energy and no energy means no life can exist.
Theoretically, without the gravity, the universe cannot form and there is no source of energy. Thus life cannot exist.
CONCLUSION
Teaching science in the theme park is a wonderful approach. The teacher needs to explain the basic science concept before the trip and let the students experience the concept independently. The student will able to see, touch, hear, and then think to relate about the theory in the class with their real experience. Student will also able to correlate the trip with other subject in school, develop soft skills, enhance communication skills and the important thing is they able to learn many new things in interesting way. At the same time, they can relief their stress in an educated way.
Going to Sunway Lagoon not only give me a wonderful weekend, but also teach me about the physics (gravity, G-force, centrifugal force), biology (human adaptation to gravity, hormone, biodiversity and human brain), mathematic (equation, curve and theorem), communication skills (meeting a new international friends), management (the security, the wrist tag) and entrepreneurship (the unexpected expensive food stall). I will never forget this wonderful trip.
*this article was uploaded in my blog www.ed227.blogspot.com
REFFERENCES
The forces of nature - Google Books
NASA - Astrobiology - Latest News
NASA
Yahoo! Answers - What would Life be like without Gravity
Life Without Gravity. -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Yahoo! Answers - Can life exist without gravity My physics teacher asked this question today, and we disagreed on the answer
Would humans survive on earth without gravity - Yahoo! Answers
What would daily life be like without gravity - Yahoo! Answers
What would happen if gravity became non-existant in the Universe
gravity for children
life without gravity
sunway lagoon map
No comments:
Post a Comment