How to build a dream
Claremont students journey to France to find the answers
It may be the place ‘where dreams come true’ but how is that done? Imagination, creativity and a thorough knowledge of… mathematics. If you want to create a thrilling rollercoaster ride, you’ll need to understand equations, kinetic energy, geometry and trigonometry. Speed, surprises and scares are all important, but safety comes first. And what about making sure everything runs efficiently? Financial planning, interpreting graphs and data and understanding pricing structures are essential. Maths is as much a part of Disneyland Paris as Mickey Mouse and the movies.
That’s exactly what twenty-four students from Claremont High School set out to discover on 20th January 2025 at the beginning of a three-day trip to the celebrated theme park in France. After an all-day journey by coach and ferry, starting well before dawn, the pupils checked into their on-site hotel in the evening, ready to start a day of exploration and excitement the following morning.
Day two began with a multi-media seminar, which included an interactive mobile app reinforcing key mathematical concepts, including shapes in design, displacement time graphs and estimation versus reality. This enabled students to maximize their time in the park by completing a series of tasks and challenges, before experiencing the rides and attractions for themselves.
‘The highlight of the trip for me was discovering all the rides at Disneyland Paris and learning how they work and the amount of thought that’s put into just one,’ reflects Lucky Chauhan in 10.2. 'The maths activities covered important factors such as G-force, which made me think about how the rides are measured using this. I’d definitely recommend this trip to other students as they can enjoy the attractions and be fascinated by the mathematical factors that are involved and the thought processes behind it all.’
‘It was a lot of fun going on the rollercoaster with my friends and learning how they work,’ says Mehdiyah Husain in 10.7. ‘It was relevant because if in the future we want to become engineers, we’ll need to know how to use maths in that or any other job. That’s why we learn it at school - it’s important.’
‘This was my first time organising a residential trip, and the first Maths trip to Disneyland!’ explains Ms Mistri. ‘It was hugely enjoyable. The students had a great time - from the journey by ferry, to learning about the mathematical considerations in a theme park, to riding the biggest rollercoasters. Many thanks to Ms Ami and Mr Warren for their help on the trip, and for all the good memories made.’
Twenty-four tired but happy students started the return journey on the morning of the third day, a few falling asleep on the coach to dream of a future where the seemingly impossible - like gravity-defying rollercoaster rides - really can come true. And it all started in the Maths Department at Claremont High School.