TEACHERS!

We're studying physics in science, and we are spending some time on roller coasters, and my teacher said today in class "wooden coasters cant go upside down" and some other general public beliefs. I wanted to just yell out that shes wrong but I didnt.

Any one else ever experience this?
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Life is a rollercoaster... ride it.
~*kP

So get the stats for SOB and show them to her.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

I have and A+, if I say shes wrong I'll get a C cuz she wont like me anymore. My friend, should have an A, but he has like a C or somthing cuz she doesnt like him at all.

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Life is a rollercoaster... ride it.
~*kP

Don't say she was wrong, just show her that there is a wooden coaster that does go upside down. Just correct her. If not, don't do anything. It's not that big of a deal.

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Turkeys, the only animal smarter than man

So much for honest science! I know little of physics but wood has extrodinarily high tensile strength and your so called science teacher needs some help!

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Erie: The only great lake you can walk from end to end and only get oil on your shoes!

Why is it that so many kids think they get bad grades because "my teacher doesnt like me"? It just seems to me that there is a lot of "kid-hating" in schools. :)

Anyway, if you want to *correct* her and not seem like a smart ass doing it, do this: Go into class tomorrow and tell her that her lecture really inspired you to do some research on why wood can NOT do loops in rollercoasters and "lo and behold" you found a picture of a wooden coaster that *DOES* have a loop right here in the good old U-S-A. Bring in some pictures of the construction if you can. You can use it as a jumping off point for further discussion. This way it looks more like "kissing up" than "showing off", but either way, you're showing that she doesnt know everything and you can tell the class the truth.

Just make sure you have evidence (photos, brochures..) with you as it makes it look like you did some work and arent just blowing smoke out of your arse.

lata, jeremy

--who was once told by his H.S. physics teacher "Jeremy! Dont be SMART-ASS!" (end thick Ethiopian accent)

To heck with the teacher just show it the picture of the sob!
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Erie: The only great lake you can walk from end to end and only get oil on your shoes!

Its not like the loop itself is made of wood....

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"Sit down right, hold on tight, and enjoy your flight on Shivering Timbers!!"

Well a wooden coaster is a wooden coaster because the rails are made of wood (albeit, covered with steel strips). If I recall, I read somewhere on CB that the rails of SoB are made out of wood, which was steamed to achieve its curve.

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Tommy Penner - Variable X @ vxtc.blinkspot.com
Cedar Point FanBoy since 2001

Back in the '20's when they made loops that were perfectly circular, I believe that the structures were some times made out of wood.

Don't quote me on this, but I think it's true

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There is going to be more than L-TH-B.

"Imagination rules the world." - Napoleon Bonaparte

Rider said:
Its not like the loop itself is made of wood....

Actually it is, the only steel on the loop is the supports,and spin, and actually the original design was for the spine and supports to be wooden also, but opted for the steel supports.

Thanks for your ideas and info. I wont tell her unless the subject just comes up again, then I'll just magicly happen to have SOB pics in my folder!

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Life is a rollercoaster... ride it.
~*kP

*** This post was edited by coasterfreak13 12/13/2002 11:22:36 PM ***

Remember this for your end-of-the-year final science project... ^_~

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~Lee~

Group Sales ATL '01
Group Sales TL '02
'03 -- TBA
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"The greatest leaders don't take credit for their actions; they don't have to."

It is perfectly possible to point out a teacher's error without being a jerk in the process. I know, because my grad students do it all the time. In fact, I have a standing rule: my PhD students cannot graduate unless they have shown me that I am full of s*** at least once. Some of them forget that they have to actually be correct, but that's another story.

The trick is (a) making it about Seeking Truth, not Telling Someone They Are Wrong (as 2hostyl said) and (b) being polite in the process. Polite in this case would be something like "Here's a coaster that seems odd. It's officially a wooden coaster, though part of the structure is supported with steel, and has a loop. Cool, isn't it?" Impolite would be something like "Everyone knows that if a coaster has wooden rails, it's wood, and so obviously you were wrong since this wooden coaster has a loop."

There is a difference between correcting her, and telling her she is wrong.

If you say you were just looking around on coaster sites, and you found out there was a wooden with a loop and show her, maybe she wouldnt take it offensive.