Making Waves
Reported August 2007
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Summer's almost over...but the fun isn't over just yet! At Noah's Ark Waterpark, there's the "Flash Flood," the "Black Anaconda," and the "Stingray!"
But it's the “Big Kahuna Wave Pool” that is a kid favorite. But -- how do wave pools work? Actually, a huge compressor is fired up that feeds four gigantic air blowers. Then a computer controls chambers that generate the waves.h
When the chamber lids are closed, air from the blowers pushes the water out and makes a wave. When the valve is open, the balance tank fills with water, getting ready to make the next wave. It works just like a toddler pushing a cup upside-down onto water in a bathtub.
"There's a lot of mechanics down there, but it really is simple physics," said Tim Gantz, President and co-owner of Noah's Ark water park in the Wisconsin Dells.
More than one million gallons of water constantly run through the Big Kahuna wave pool, and 30,000 gallons of water travel in and out of the chambers every few seconds.
But luckily -- all most of us really have to worry about is playing by the wave pool rules.
The American Association of Physics Teachers contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:
Melanie Weaver
Public Information
Noah’s Ark
(608) 254-6351
For more information about physics in your life:
American Association of Physics Teachers
College Park, MD
(301) 209-3311
http://www.aapt.org
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