Have you ever wondered why you slide into your friend when you're on the Tilt-A-Whirl, or why you don't fly out of a rollercoaster even when you're traveling upside down? Examine the physics of our everyday lives and how these forces work in popular amusement parks.

Explore key concepts such as acceleration, gravity, and potential and kinetic energy as you investigate how rides are engineered to utilize these concepts for thrilling results.

Countries addressing a global challenge like climate change, weapons proliferation, or the coronavirus pandemic often present their concerns to the United Nations. The ways in which the U.N. tackles them is sometimes controversial. Nevertheless, understanding its mission and functions remains essential to international relations. In this course, you will study the structure and processes of this multilateral institution through readings, discussions, research, and short lectures.

Step right up and try your hand at solving some of the world’s classic math conundrums! We have options galore: Plinko, Golden Balls, Deal or No Deal, and many more. Pull the curtain back on the mathematical theories behind some of the most enduring probability puzzles and popular TV game shows, and gain insight into game design and contestants’ thought processes. Critically apply your new knowledge and skills to explore decision-making and strategy in game shows through both independent and group work such as problem-solving challenges, discussions, and simulations.

The best nonfiction is vivid, informative, and gripping. It can startle readers with new perspectives on society, reveal mysteries in medicine, bring life and character to history, and build suspense into feats of engineering. In memoirs, biographies, and investigations, nonfiction writers challenge readers to understand others, to engage with new and stimulating ideas, and to broaden their views of the world. This writing workshop will develop your understanding of nonfiction writing strategies and help you blend facts with figurative language to create vibrant, memorable nonfiction.

Discover the role that chemistry plays in your everyday life in this experiment-intensive course. Through hands-on chemistry activities, you’ll learn about the states of matter, explore different types of mixtures (and make your own!), and learn about subatomic particles and building atom models. As you continue your focus on chemistry in the kitchen, you’ll witness endothermic reactions in a bread-baking activity and learn about enzymes, fermentation, and food preservation with related at-home labs.

Your new friend at CTY teaches you a dice game. If you roll a 4, you win and the game ends. If your friend rolls a 5, they win and the game ends. You take turns rolling until one person wins. If you roll first, what is the probability you will win? This course explores probability and statistics, two areas of mathematics that easily transfer from the classroom to the real world. You and your classmates will conduct experiments and learn to make graphs, charts, and tables to display data.

Strengthen your analytical and problem-solving skills and become a stronger competitor in this challenging course that’s designed for students with minimal math competition experience at the middle school level. Through lessons, sample problems, videos, and mini-competitions, we’ll build on ideas introduced in Middle School Competitive Mathematics I, developing your skills in logic, algebra, geometry, number theory, and probability.

Did you know the idea for the microwave all started with a candy bar? Inventor Percy Spencer was standing in front of a magnetron when he noticed his chocolate treat was melting in his pocket. When Spencer held a bag of corn kernels next to the magnetron and they started popping, he knew he was on to something. This course will teach you about inventors like Spencer, their creations, and their impacts on our world. If you’re the kind of kid who likes to take things apart to figure out how they work, this is the class for you.

Calling all inventors! CTY’s Inventions in Engineering course introduces young students to the imaginations, habits, and characteristics of successful inventors, and the history and impact of their creations. From Rube Goldberg machines to upcycled cars, you’ll use the engineering design process to solve problems while creating your own inventions. You and your classmates will work on a hands-on project in addition to writing peer reviews, keeping an idea log, and participating in forums and live class meetings to share your ideas and reflect on your designs.

What draws audiences into the settings of their favorite fantasy worlds? What makes these otherwise mythical places feel like real locations in readers’ minds? In this course, we’ll use applications of geography, cartography, and anthropology to create and develop our own fantasy worlds. We’ll learn the literary elements of storytelling, analyzing specific examples from the genre as we engage in writing exercises that give you the tools to compose stories in your newly minted fictional setting.