education packed with water-powered wow

Dreamworld’s Education Department has launched a range of innovative and relevant student courses that focus on the nation’s newest water park, the $60 million WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast.

Primary and Senior students can now apply the principles of science and mathematics as they explore the cutting edge rides and attractions in-park, using simple experiments to demonstrate real life situations.

The innovative programs were written by Tyson Stelzer, author of eight books including the Heinemann texts Physics: A Contextual Approach and Science 10: A Contextual Approach.

Mr Stelzer has served as Head of Senior Science at Trinity Lutheran College and has more than a decade of experience in teaching Mathematics, Science and Physics at middle and senior school level.

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and a Diploma of Education, Tyson is extremely passionate about real-world science and mathematics and has been working closely with Dreamworld and WhiteWater World to develop and deliver these programs over the last two years.

The dynamic and exciting education programs, never before seen in Australia offer maximum flexibility and incorporate student activity sheets that teachers can mix and match to suit the level of their students. It’s a class they’ll never forget!

Dreamworld’s successful education programs welcome over 60,000 students to the park every year, and WhiteWater World is set to be just as popular.

Leading the education arm, Dreamworld’s Education Manager Hilary Cozier said lessons at Dreamworld enabled children to ‘break free’ from the ‘blackboard boredom’ and apply lessons to real life experiences.

“Our lessons are very hands-on using simple experiments to demonstrate real life situations. Most of all, it’s fun so students find it easier to learn,” she said.

“There is no other place in Australia where students can experience the thrills and spills of all four of the ‘world’s best’ water slides or spend their school day chilling in a tube at The Cave of Waves.

Science students will be able to practically apply theories of energy, speed and force to some of the hottest water rides and slides on the planet including the Super Tubes HydroCoaster, Blue Ringed Octopus (BRO) and The Rip respectively. The importance of water conservation is also explored as a vital consideration of the park with a focus on renewable and non-renewable resources and water testing.

Meanwhile, Mathematics B students will discover how to use mathematical functions to create models of some the water rides and slides to make predictions based on the relationship between height and mass, and measure instantaneous and average velocities. The application of mathematics will also allow students to calculate the volume of the perfect tube.

Australia’s coolest classroom will run all year round so book in before the bell rings by phoning 07 5588 1184.

Programs:

Junior Science Program - Yrs 6-10
Revolutionising the water park experience, WhiteWater World offers students a world of science exploration!

SuperTubes Hydrocoaster
Students will learn about convection and conduction as well as the principles of Energy and Change including potential and kinetic energy as they race through the Super Tubes HydroCoaster, a LIM powered rocket coaster using electromagnetic forces to drive three- person ‘rocket rafts’ uphill.

The will investigate the transfer and transformation of potential and kinetic energy and explore the latest innovations in wave pool technology at WhiteWater World’s Cave of Waves,

Targeting years 6-10, WhiteWater World’s Junior Science program incorporates all 5 of the key strands in the Science Key Learning Area.

SuperTubes Hydrocoaster – Energy and electromagnetism
Students will race through an exciting journey of energy changes as they discover the secrets of the operation of the world’s latest innovation in waterslide technology.

They will learn how potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy as they plummet from an 18m tower and then experience the force of electromagnetism as they are rocket up five vertical rises.

This activity unlocks the magic of the linear induction motor – you can’t see it, you can’t hear it, it has no moving parts and it never touches your rocket raft – yet it will shoot you up an incline at breath-taking speed! This is the ultimate in “electricity meets water science” – and the result has never been more shocking!

Syllabus Outcomes
• Years 6 and 7 Energy and change – Students collect and present information about the transfer and transformation of energy (including potential and kinetic energy)
• Years 8 and 9 Energy and change – Students explain how energy is transferred and transformed (including energy transfer by convection and conduction). Students outline the energy changes that occur in simple physical and chemical changes and link their observations to scientific understandings about the conservation of energy
• Year 10 Energy and change – Students model and analyse applications of energy transfer and transformation.


The Rip – Forces and weightlessness
Psyche yourself up for a white-knuckle experience! The first of its kind in the country, The Rip will subject students to some of the most extreme forces and accelerations that they will experience at WhiteWater World, throwing them from a 16m tower into a high-speed whirlpool and out the plughole into a momentary freefall.

In this activity, students will discover exactly what they have been subjected to in this ride as they calculate the forces and accelerations that they experience. It will leave them grateful for the cushioning effect of their cloverleaf tube!

Syllabus Outcomes
• Years 6 and 7 Energy and change – Students explore properties of some common force and energy phenomena by playing with toys. Students devise and use tools to compare the effectiveness of materials designed to protect the human body from impact forces.
• Years 8 and 9 Energy and change – Students outline the energy changes that occur in simple physical and chemical changes and link their observations to scientific understandings about the conservation of energy.
• Year 10 Energy and change – Students participate in investigations to quantify the relationship between force and motion.


Cave of Waves – Scientific inventions and technology
Brace yourself for a wave of exhilaration as you prepare to face one of modern science’s most fascinating innovations. The surging wave of 2685m2 of water, rising to a height of up to 1.5m is propelled by nothing more than…thin air!

Students will discover how scientific inventions lead to the development of new technology as they learn how a series of fans and plumes pushes the boundaries for wave pool technology to create the perfect wave.

Syllabus Outcomes
• Years 6 and 7 Science and society – Students examine and evaluate the potential applications of scientific ideas and inventions
• Years 8 and 9 Science and society – Students analyse the relationship between social attitudes and decisions about the applications of science
• Year 10 Science and society – Students evaluate contributions to the developments of scientific ideas made by individuals and groups in the past and present, and consider factors which have assisted or hindered them. Students use scientific concepts to evaluate the costs and benefits of applications of science. Students suggest probable, possible and preferred options regarding future applications of science, and the sustainability of those applications.

BRO (Blue Ringed Octopus) – Speed and friction
It’s the students turn to get caught in a speed trap, and the faster they are travelling, the better! Students can use a radar gun to clock the speed of their friends as they scream out of The Blue Ringed Octopus at up to 50 kilometres per hour.

But does the greatest top speed mean that they will finish first? In this activity students will compare top speeds with average speeds and discover that friction can be quite a drag in your quest for speed!

Syllabus Outcomes
• Years 6 and 7 Energy and Change - Students design and perform investigations into relationships between forces, motion and energy
• Years 8 and 9 Energy and Change - Students analyse situations where various forces (including balanced and unbalanced forces) act on objects
• Year 10 Energy and Change - Students use scientific ideas of motion (including action and reaction) to explain everyday experiences.


Renewable Environment – Renewable and non-renewable resources
What would you do differently if you were designing a water park in the middle of the worst drought in Australia’s history? You might be surprised to learn how much the responsible management of resources influenced the design of WhiteWater World.

This activity takes students into the minds of WhiteWater World engineers to investigate the water-saving mechanisms employed in the park.

Syllabus Outcomes
• Years 6 and 7 Earth and Beyond - Students summarise information to compare ways in which different communities use resources from the Earth and beyond
• Years 8 and 9 Earth and Beyond - Students prepare scenarios about the use of renewable and non-renewable resources of the Earth and beyond
• Year 10 Earth and Beyond - Students argue a position regarding stewardship of the Earth and beyond, and consider the implications of using renewable and non-renewable resources. Students use the ideas and concepts of science to evaluate ways in which human activity could be modified to create a sustainable future
• Year 10 Science and Society - Students make presentations supporting the different sides in debates about controversial applications of science
• Year 10 Life and Living - Students examine potential long-term effects of human activities on the environment.


Pure Water – Water testing
Water isn’t just water! Depending on how it’s handled, water will dissolve different amounts of gases from the air; it will have a different pH, conductivity, salinity and temperature.
This activity gives students the opportunity to see how much difference this can make, by conducting a series of tests to compare the water in the Cave of Waves with that in nearby Nickelodeon Pipeline Plunge.

Syllabus Outcomes
• Years 6 and 7 Natural and Processed Materials - Students collect information and propose ideas to explain the properties of materials in terms of each material’s underlying structure
• Years 8 and 9 Natural and Processed Materials - Students devise tests and interpret data to show that the properties and interactions of materials influence their use
• Year 10 Natural and Processed Materials - Students explore chemical processes which adversely affect the environment and consider ways of minimising these effects.



Mathematics B - Yrs 11-12
This program is designed to motivate and excite students by taking a hands-on approach to learning Mathematics. Mathematics B students will discover how to model sections of the Super Tubes HydroCoaster track using mathematical functions, create a model to predict how high a raft will go in The Green Room, investigate periodic functions in the Cave of Waves, discover average and instantaneous rates of change in the Blue Ringed Octopus, and create a mathematical model for how long it takes riders to get sucked into The Rip! Learning Mathematics has never been so rewarding.

The Green Room – A mathematical model for height versus mass
Everyone wants to go as high as possible into the upper hemisphere of The Green Room, but there’s one thing you can do that will make all the difference.

Students learn to chose their co riders very carefully as they investigate the effect of the mass of riders on the height that the raft achieves. What they discover comes as a big surprise.

Syllabus Links
Modelling and problem solving – The objectives of this category involve the uses of mathematics in which the students will model mathematical situations and constructs, solve problems and investigate situations mathematically within the contexts of Application, Technology, Initiative and Complexity.

By the conclusion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the category of modelling and problem solving through:
– understanding that a mathematical model is a mathematical representation of a situation
– identifying that assumptions and variables of a simple mathematical model of a situation
– forming a mathematical model of a life-related situation
– deriving results from consideration of the mathematical model chosen for a particular situation
– interpreting results from the mathematical model in terms of the given situation
– exploring the strengths and limitations of a mathematical model.


BRO (Blue Ringed Octopus) – Measuring instantaneous and average velocities
Speed may be a daredevils ultimate quest, but clever thrill seekers know that it is really the acceleration that creates the ultimate rush! The BRO has no shortage of either!

A stopwatch and radar gun may allow students to measure speed simply enough but they will have to master the powerful tool of calculus to get a handle on acceleration.

Syllabus Links
• Rates of change – calculation of average rates of change in both practical and purely mathematical situations
• Rates of Change – interpretation of the derivative as an instantaneous rate of change.
• Rates of change – practical applications of instantaneous rate of change.
• Rates of change – determine average and instantaneous accelerations from a velocity-time graph.
• Introduction to integration – investigate the motion of a falling body in terms of its displacement and velocity as functions of time neglecting air resistance.
• Introduction to Integration – from a velocity time function (or graph) determine a distance or displacement function (or graph): interpret result.


The Perfect Tube – Calculating the volume of a torus and complex shapes
WhiteWater World runs on tubes, from the simple donut rings of the Cave of Waves to the figure-of-eight tubes of the Temple of Huey and the cloverleaf rafts of The Green Room.

There’s a large volume of compressed air that goes into keeping WhiteWater World afloat, but exactly how much? Student’s are about to find out.



Syllabus Links
• Basic Knowledge and Procedures – metric measurement including measurement of mass, length, area and volume in practical contexts.
• Maintaining Mathematical Procedures – practical applications of volume and surface area of regular shapes.
• Optimisation using Derivatives – investigate situations finding optimal qualities and/or optimal costs such as the optimal use of materials used for the manufacture of various containers of simple shapes.
• Rates of Change – determine the instantaneous rate of change of a variable with respect to another variable in life-related situations given the mathematical model: such as the rate of change of the surface area of an object


The Rip - A mathematical model for time in The Rip versus mass
Ever wondered why some riders take longer to get sucked into The Rip than others? Students are about to find out why! In this activity students will investigate the effect of the mass of the riders on the time that they spend in The Rip and discover just how much difference it makes.

This Mathematical modelling activity is similar in structure to that of The Green Room, but here the data-gathering process is simpler and the distinct data associated with each will ensure that the solutions ad analysis involved are unique.

Syllabus Links
Modelling and problem solving – The objectives of this category involve the uses of mathematics in which the student will model mathematical situations and constructs, solve problems and investigate situations mathematically within the contexts of Application, Technology, Initiative and Complexity.

By the conclusion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the category of modelling and problem solving through:
– understanding that a mathematical model is a mathematical representation of a situation
– identifying the assumptions and variables of a simple mathematical model of a situation
– forming a mathematical model of a life-related situation
– deriving results from consideration of the mathematical model chosen for a particular situation
– interpreting results from the mathematical model in terms of the given situation
– exploring the strengths and limitations of a mathematical model.


Cave of Waves - Investigating periodic functions
Water waves are one of the most inspiring examples of periodic function action – but it’s near-impossible to stay still for long enough to measure them accurately at the beach. This is why the Cave of Waves is the perfect place to learn about periodic functions. There’s certainly no shortage of waves, but it’s as safe as a swimming pool!

Syllabus Links
Periodic Functions and Applications – definition of a periodic function, the period and amplitude. For instance:
– find the period, amplitude and frequency of trigonometric functions which are used to model phenomena such as wave motion
– plot the water heights at a specified point as waves pass over a certain time period
Basic Knowledge and Procedures – metric measurement including measurement of mass, length, area and volume in practical contexts
Maintaining Mathematical Procedures – practical applications of volume and surface area of regular shapes
Maintaining Mathematical Procedures – interpretations and drawing of scale drawings and plans
Introduction to Integration – determine the volume of water that could be contained in a poll or tank of given length and parabolic cross-section.


Super Tubes HydroCoaster - Approximating a curve with a function
The tight turns and steep inclines of the Super Tubes HydroCoaster ensure that the world’s very latest innovation in waterslide technology is also one of the most exciting. In this activity students will examine the Mathematics behind the shape of the track to learn how this ride achieves its exhilarating drops and terrifying turns.

Syllabus Links
– Periodic Functions and Applications – use sine and cosine rules to solves triangles in two- and three-dimensional contexts and determine lengths/distances and the magnitude of angles in life-related situations such as the height of a tower given the direction and angles of inclination from two fixed locations of known distance apart.
– Introduction to Functions – examine the general shapes of polynomial functions of the type y = xn, n = 2, 3, 4
– Introduction to Functions – use a graphing calculator to investigate possible functions for data
– Maintaining Mathematical Procedures – interpretations and drawing of scale drawings and plans.

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About Tyson Stelzer
Tyson Stelzer is the author of eight books including the Heinemann texts Physics: A Contextual Approach and Science 10: A Contextual Approach. He has a decade of experience in teaching Mathematics, Science and Physics at middle and senior school level at Trinity Lutheran College, where he has served at Head of Senior Science for three years. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and a Diploma of Education. Tyson is passionate about real-world Science and Mathematics and has been working with Dreamworld and WhiteWater World to develop Physics, Science and Mathematics programs over the past two years.