Tools for physics class field trips to amusement parks in Northern California
In fall 2026, the Nor Cal/Nev section of the American Association of Physics Teachers is taking over managing the Physics Day website.
We plan on having the site up and running by the end of the year to help teachers prepare for spring 2027 field trips.
For more details, see our About page.
A Very Brief History
Physics Day at Great America was started in 1983 by Don Rathjen from Foothill High School. Initially, he brought his physics students to the park on a normal operating day. In the second year, he brought three other teachers and their physics students to Great America, armed with accelerometers and calculators to study the physics behind roller coasters.
Over the years, Physics Day grew until the park opened up on a non-operating day, exclusively for physics students. The number of students grew, and the number of middle school science students attending the park had also grown. Two separate days were scheduled, one for high school physics, the other for middle school science. In 1995, a third day was added to accommodate math students who explore applications of mathematics in the real world. And in 2020 a fourth day has been added to work around the AP Testing and allow advanced physics students an opportunity to learn and enjoy the park.
Physics Day, now Physics, Science & Math Days, has been in continuous operation since 1983. It’s one of the only special days of its type where the park is open just for students and teachers for educational purposes. 39 years and going strong!
In 2026, Clarence Bakken, who ran the Physics, Science& Math Days @ California’s Great America site for over two decades, decide it was time to find a new host for the site so he could fully enjoy his retirement. Northern California/Nevada section of the American Association of Physics Teachers took over management of the site, moving it to our subdomain physicsday.ncnaapt.org.
During fall 2026 we hope to move most of the content from Clarence’s site to this new site, and add resources for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Our goal is to have resource and tips and tricks for bringing your class to your local amusement park in the spring 2027 season (hint: most parks start opening on Fridays and weekends around Easter Week–last week in March).