Wonder Conversations

Connecting Play and Wonder to STEM Thinking

See, Think and Wonder 

Spark wonder conversations with your children! What do you notice and wonder?kingda_ka_3

Wonder: I wonder how many steps it would take to climb to the top of Kingda-Ka.

Observe and research: Need to find data on the Kingda Ka Rollercoaster

Notice and Gather Information: It is 456ft tall.  If I knew the size of steps, I can figure out how many steps to the top of Kingda-ka.

Do the Math: Assuming each step is 1/2 ft, 2 steps/feet, it would be 912 steps. 456*2=912 steps

Explain & Evaluate: It would take 912 steps. That would be a lot of steps. If we were to increase the size steps to 10 inches, we can also revise our thinking. 

Revise and Report: With larger steps of 10 inches, we could take 456*12inches=5472 inches. If we assumed the steps were 10 inches each, we would have about 547 steps up to Kingda Ka!

I also read that each step climbed burns 0.17 calories per stair climbed- so my next wondering is how many calories would I burn if I climbed the Kingda Ka?

Park section Golden Kingdom
Coordinates 40°08′21.18″N74°26′11.39″WCoordinates40°08′21.18″N 74°26′11.39″W
Status Operating
Opening date May 21, 2005
General statistics
Type Steel – Launched
Manufacturer Intamin
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Accelerator Coaster
Track layout Strata Coaster
Lift/launch system Hydraulic launch
Height 456 ft (139 m)
Drop 418 ft (127 m)
Length 3,118 ft (950 m)
Speed 128 mph (206 km/h)
Duration 0:28
Max vertical angle 90°
Capacity 1,400 riders per hour
Acceleration 0 to 128 mph (0 to 206 km/h) in 3.5 seconds
G-force 5
Height restriction 54 in (137 cm)
Trains Four trains, with five cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows (except for the last car), for a total of 18 riders per train.