On an overcast day in early October, the Year 13 students set out for Chertsey to investigate whether the physics that they learnt about in the classroom still worked in the real world…. Thorpe Park.

This is one of the highlights of the physics department year, as the students have permission to take measuring equipment on the rides.

Using the accelerometers on their smart phones, students were able to measure and plot the g-forces first hand and then compare their readings with the theoretical ones they worked out using laws of energy conservation and circular motion. One of the attractions of physics is that it turns out that the laws that work in the classroom can also be applied to the real world – from atoms to galaxies to theme parks.