A popular ride at any fair or theme park is the Pirate Ship. In this ride, people sit in a large rigid ‘gondola’ that swings from side to side on a rigid support balanced with a counterweight. The whole ride can build up tremendous speed, and the gondola is usually able to rotate on its axis, allowing it to flip upside down at the top of the ride.

Have you ever wondered how Pirate Ships are made so they don’t swing off their supports?

You might like to …

• investigate how the length of the rigid support and the mass of the gondola and counterweight affect the motion of the ride
• imagine you’re a theme-ride designer/manufacturer and build a working model ‘Pirate Ship’ to show to a theme park owner; you will also have to think about how big the full scale ride will be, how much space it will need in the theme park, and safety regulations.