Montgomery Trip. Part 3

Montgomery Zoo

I am not sure what other kids do before they go to a state computer programming competition, but in our house we go do something fun, like the zoo.

Even though it was stinkin' hot, we opted to endure the heat and wander around the Montgomery Zoo. It had some new features, like the Zoofari Skylift Ride. While Jackson opted to be a fuddy-duddy, Callie and I started the zoo with a sweet ride.

 

We spotted Jackson' relaxing at a table under a tree when we made our way back around. And of course, we (I mean me) called out loudly to him. I believe he must not have heard me...

Once we were all back together we walked around looking at all sorts of animals. Here are some of the kid's favorites, and some of the candid pictures I love to take while they aren't looking!

White Tigers...

Large Rhinos...

 

 Baby Giraffes...

 Wild Beast Wondering the Paths...

 Stealing a Kiss, Hoping No One Saw,,,

We ended our zoo tour with a ride on the train. Unfortunately, so did a bunch of rowdy elementary students on a field trip. We soon found out their loud screaming would only be amplified in the tunnel. My kids handled it beautifully, even though they were glad when the train ride was over!

We went through the whole park in record time, but by noon Jackson was getting anxious about meeting his team for the competition. So, we went to lunch with his friend and then he went to Auburn University in Montgomery... to go be a computer genius.


Lesson about a Train Rid of Screaming Kids in a Tunnel:

What is Sound? "In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as a typically audible mechanical wave of pressure and displacement, through a medium such as air or water. "

Sound waves of screaming children on the train before reaching the tunnel was loud, but because we were outside the air absorbed some of that sound.

Why was it louder in the Tunnel? "When a sound wave in air reaches the surface of another material, some of the sound is reflected off the surface, while the rest of it goes into the material. For example, when sound hits a wall, some is reflected and some passes into the wall."

Sound waves of screaming children on the train in the tunnel was louder because the waves hit the tunnels walls and reflected back into our ears.

Why did it sound like a million kids? "Echoes are the sound of your own voice reflecting back to your ears. The sound you hear ringing in an auditorium after the band has stopped playing is caused by reflection off the walls and other objects. A sound wave will continue to bounce around a room, or reverberate, until it has lost all its energy. A wave has some of its energy absorbed by the objects it hits. The rest is lost as heat energy."

Sound waves of screaming children on the train in a tunnel was not only louder because they used their outside, screaming voices to bounce and reflect off the tunnel walls, but their sound waves were like a million loud echos reverberating in our ears even after we departed the ride.

Science in action!!