Classroom Demonstrations

Linear Mechanics

• Using force sensors
• Projectile motion
• Third law: forces between two carts
• Kinetic and static friction
• Tension in a string passing through a pulley
• Mechanical advantage using a pulley
• Springs: Hooke's Law
• Bungee Jumping: conservation of mechanical energy
• Newton's cradle: conservation of momentum
• Elastic and inelastic collisions: conservation of momentum

Rotational Mechanics

• Flying pig: centripetal acceleration
• Torque on a door
• Torque on a rod
• Forces on two ends of a hanging meter stick
• Balancing a box on one hand
• Rotating rod: moment of inertia
• Rotating two rods with different moments of inertia
• Downhill race between a hollow and a solid cylinder
• Downhill races between different kinds and sizes of round objects
• Shorten the radius of the circular motion of a ball: angular momentum
• Angular momentum of an object moving in a straight line
• Student on rotating chair with weights in his hands
• Student on rotating chair with wheel first rotating about a horizontal axis
• Student on rotating chair with wheel first rotating about a vertical axis
• Student standing on a rotating platform

Fluids

• Crushing a can
• Pulling apart two hemispheres
• Ping-Pong Cannon: force exerted by air at atmospheric pressure
• Changing lead to gold
• Cartesian diver
• Dip finger into beaker of water
• Alka-Seltzer in a Latex Glove: buoyant force of air
• Pressure in the small pipe
• Flowing air has lower pressure

Thermodynamics

• Thermal expansion of a hole
• Fire syringe
• Adiabatic compression and expansion

Oscillations, Waves, and Sound

• Spring constant and harmonic oscillation
• Oscillation of weight hanging on spring
• Pendulum
• Velocity of wave on long spring
• Doppler effect with moving speaker
• Shock waves in water
• Interference with two speakers
• Using a standing wave to find the velocity of the wave
• Standing waves on an elastic cord
• Standing waves in a tube
• Standing waves in a tube closed at one end
• Beats from two oscillators
• Hear the harmonics
• Harmonics in a human voice
• Standing waves on a violin string

Electric Fields and Circuits

• Using voltage sensors
• Van de Graaff generator: lightning
• Van de Graaff generator: Garfield's hair
• Van de Graaff generator: pie tins
• Fun fly stick
• Comb and piece of paper
• Comb and aluminum can
• Electric charge on tape
• RC circuit

Magnetic fields

• Force of magnetic field on a beam of electrons
• Force of magnetic field on an electric current
• Simple electric motor
• Red October: force of magnetic field on moving charges
• Magnetic field produced by current and detected with a compass (Figures are from Serway's College Physics.)
• Two parallel wires attract and repel each other
• Bolts hanging from a magnet
• Flash of light from induced emf
• Inserting a magnet into a coil: Lenz's Law
• Pull out a magnet in both directions
• Move the coil instead of the magnet
• Magnet falling down a conducting tube
• Transformers
• Playing music through a transformer
• Light bulb and transformer
• Ring tosser

Optics

• Refraction of white light
• Total internal reflection
• Light bulb at focal point of converging lens
• Real image from mirror
• Illusive dollar
• Real image from lens
• Real and virtual images
• Two-wave model for double-slit interference
• Illustrating double slit interference
• Diffraction grating
• Separating light into colors using a diffraction grating
• Interference of waves reflected from a film of soapy water
• Diffraction of light through a single slit
• Resolving power of the eye
• Telescope
• Polarizers
• Polarization of reflected light

Modern Physics

• Photoelectric effect
• Spectrum of hydrogen and neon
• Atomic spectra viewed through a diffraction grating
• Geiger counter
• Chain reaction
• The spectrum of laser light
• Fluorescence
• Levitation of a magnet above a superconductor