science

Spaceplex

Spaceplex is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spaceplex rather than just read about it. In short: Spaceplex was an indoor amusement park and arcade opened in 1991 at 620 Middle Country Road, Nesconset, New York, United States. Gary Tuzzalo was a co-owner and the general manager, and James Manas was another principal in the parent company, Spaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd.

Key takeaways

Spaceplex belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spaceplex to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spaceplex from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spaceplex was an indoor amusement park and arcade opened in 1991 at 620 Middle Country Road, Nesconset, New York, United States. Gary Tuzzalo was a co-owner and the general manager, and James Manas was another principal in the parent company, Spaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd. It is the location where Katie Beers' abductor, John Esposito, claimed to have lost Beers, when in reality she was not taken from there. A 1993 article in The New York Times Magazine described it thus:

The Spaceplex is an awesome vision of a run-down-Blade-Runnerish future, unlike anything to be found anywhere else in America — yet. Entering the 30-foot-high, 45,000-square-foot rocket hangar is like going through the Gate of Heck. This is Satin's realm: a long black strobe-lighted Techno-throbbing tunnel leads to a soaring, inky dark, cathedral-like cave, its hollows filled with the echoing caterwauling din of a million boops, beeps, boinks and bong-bong-bongs; its blackness flickering with the reflections of a million flashing sensors, registering a billion acts of virtual violence. The official name is the Spaceplex Family Fun Center. It is really Long Island as the virtual future. The stock of Spaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd. was among those of seven companies that were manipulated in a fraud scheme by a group of 58 brokers and brokerages charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission in December 1997. The SEC sued 63 individuals and entities in 2000 in related proceedings. Manas pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government's investigation. Spaceplex filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 16, 1996. The building that housed Spaceplex later became the site of an indoor sports arena. It is unrelated to General Dynamics' SpacePlex research facility in the Arrowhead Research Park on the campus of New Mexico State University.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spaceplex

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spaceplex claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spaceplex before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spaceplex ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spaceplex

In research: Spaceplex appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spaceplex in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spaceplex is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1991 establishments in New York (state), Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996, Defunct amusement parks in New York (state), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spaceplex outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Spaceplex in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spaceplex means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spaceplex out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spaceplex in simple terms?

Why does Spaceplex matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spaceplex?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spaceplex.