Michigan Technological University Physics Lecture-Demonstration Facility

DEMONSTRATION LIST BY OUTLINE TOPIC

This index includes many of the demonstrations historically used by the Physics Department; available demonstrations are not limited to what is contained within this index. Our demonstration facility is constantly updating, improving, and expanding our collection of demonstrations and therefore some newer presentations may not be included within this index. Ideas for new demonstrations or how to improve old ones are always appreciated and we look forward to creatively providing you with the best possible demonstrations to educate your students.

Advanced notice is preferred.

Portions of these pages are presented with permission of Prof. Richard Berg of the University of Maryland Physics Demonstrations facility. Dick's web pages serve as a model and basis for the following pages.


Working hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Last Modified: 5/29/2007 4:00 EST

1. MECHANICS

1A. MEASUREMENT
1A10.55 Volume Perception Paradox
1A40.00 Pink Arrow
1A50.10 Radian Disc
1C. MOTION IN ONE DIMENSION
1C20.16 Dropped Ball and Coffee Filter
1C20.23xx Fancart with Motion Detector
1C20.46xx Cart on an Inclined Track
1D. MOTION IN TWO DIMENSIONS
1D15.20 Two Track Race
1D40.12 Rotation About the Center of Mass
1D50.10 Ball on String
1D50.26xx Flying Pig
1D50.40 Rotating Water Bucket
1D55.10 Trajectory from a Circular Orbit
1D60.05xx Ball to Throw
1D60.10 HOWITZER CART
1D60.20 DROPPED BALL/ SHOT BALL
1D60.30 MONKEY AND HUNTER
1E. RELATIVE MOTION
1E10.10 BULL DOZER ON MOVING SHEET
1F. Newton's First Law
1F20.10 INERTIA BALLS
1F20.20 LEAD BRICK AND HAND
1F30.50 PENCIL SHOOTER
1G. Newton's Second Law
1G10.02 ELASTIC COLLISION WITH MOTION AND FORCE SENSORS
1G10.10 ACCELERATED CART ON TRACK
1G10.30xx MASS ON SPRING SCALE
1G10.41 HORIZONTAL ATWOOD MACHINE
1G20.45 DROPPED SLINKY
1H. Newton's Third Law
1H10.02 STATIC DYNAMOMETERS
1H10.15 DYNAMICS TRACK - ACTION-REACTION PAIRS
1H10.20 FAN CART
1H11.10 KINESTHETIC CARTS
1H11.30 ROCKET TRIKE
1J. Statistics of Rigid Bodies
1J10.00 CENTER OF MASS - DISC SECTION
1J10.01 CENTER OF MASS - PLUMBER'S HELPER
1J10.30 EQUILIBRIUM OF TORQUES ON METER STICK
1J30.20 SPRING AND PULLEY PARADOX
1J30.23 SUM OF FORCES - SPRING SCALES
1J30.24 VERTICAL FORCES - FOUR SPRING SCALES
1J40.10 TORQUE STICK - STATIC TORQUE
1K. Applications of Newton's Laws
1K20.15xx WEIGHT DEPENDENCE OF FRICTION
1K20.20xx AREA DEPENDENCE OF FRICTION
1K20.30xx STATIC VS SLIDING FRICTION
1K20.36 COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION 4 IDENTICAL BLOCKS DIFFERENT SURFACES
1L. Gravity
1M. Work and Energy
1M10.20 PILE DRIVER
1M40.10 BOWLING BALL PENDULUM
1M40.11 PHYSICAL PENDULUM
1M40.20 LOOP-THE-LOOP
1N. Linear Momentum
1N10.20 EGGS IN A BLANKET
1N10.80 ROCKET TRIKE
1N20.22 Repelling Carts
1N30.10 NEWTON'S CRADLE
1N30.11 COLLISIONS OF BALL WITH FLOOR
1N30.12 SUPERBALL
1N30.22 HAPPY AND SAD BALLS
1N30.30 AIR TRACK - ELASTIC COLLISIONS
1N30.31 AIR TRACK - INELASTIC COLLISIONS
1N30.60 TRIPLE BALL LAUNCHER
1Q. Rotational Dynamics
1Q10.31 MASSES DOWN A INCLINE
1Q30.10 BALL AND HOOP
1Q30.25 MASSES ON A TURNTABLE
1Q40.11 HOBERSPHERE
1Q40.10 SPIN PLATFORM AND WEIGHTS
1Q40.26 ROTATING MASS ON SPRING
1Q40.30 HOVERPUCK IN A CIRCLE
1Q50.10 GYROSCOPE
1Q60.35 FOOTBALL
1R. Properties of Matter
1R10.10 HOOKE'S LAW
1R10.11 COMPRESSION SPRING
1R10.30 SPRINGS IN SERIES AND PARALLEL
1R40.10 AMORPHOUS METAL

2. FLUID MECHANICS

2A. Surface Tension
2A10.51 SURFACE TENSION - BALLOONS
2A15.00 SURFACE TENSION - THREAD ON WATER
2B. Statics of Fluids
2B20.76xx BOTTLE BREAKING
2B20.80 HOVERCRAFT
2B30.10 CONDENSATION OF STEAM - COLLAPSE A MILK JUG
2B40.22 BUOYANCY - PEPSI AND DIET PEPSI
2B40.30 CARTESIAN DIVER
2C. Dynamics of Fluids
2C20.30 FLOATING PING PONG BALL
2C60.40 SILLY PUTTY

3. OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES

3A. Oscillations
3A10.00 EXAMPLES OF SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION
3A10.14 PENDULA WITH 4 TO 1 LENGTH RATIO
3A20.10 MASS ON SPRING
3A20.35 AIR TRACK - SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION
3A60.20 AIR TRACK - DRIVEN AND DAMPED OSCILLATIONS
3A60.40 AIR TRACK - RESONANCE
3A70.27 SPRING-COUPLED PHYSICAL PENDULA
3B. Wave Motion
3B10.10 TRANSVERSE WAVES ON A LONG SPRING
3B10.20 SLINKY ON LAB TABLE - TRAVELING WAVES
3B10.31 SHIVE WAVE MACHINE - SUPERPOSITION OF PULSES
3B10.32 SHIVE WAVE MACHINE - REFLECTION OF PULSES
3B10.33 SHIVE WAVE MACHINE - STANDING WAVES
3B20.00 LONGITUDINAL WAVES IN METAL
3B30.50 HELIUM VOICE
3B40.10 DOPPLER BALL or DOPPLER FOOTBALL
3B60.10 BEATS AND RESONANCE - TUNING FORKS
3Bxx.xx PHET SIMULATION WAVE ON A STRING
3Bxx.xxPHET SIMULATION FOURIER - MAKING WAVES
3C. Acoustics
3D. Instruments
3D30.10 VERTICAL RESONANCE TUBE
3D30.50 STANDING WAVES IN A FLAME
3D40.20 STROKED ALUMINUM ROD
3D40.31 SAND RESONANCE PLATES
3E. Sound Reproduction

4. THERMODYNAMICS

4A. Thermal Properties of Matter
4A10.10 THERMOMETERS
4A30.10 BIMETALLIC STRIP
4A40.30 RACQUET BALL AT LN TEMPERATURE
4B. Heat and the First Law
4B10.15 SPECIFIC HEAT OIL AND WATER
4B20.45 CONVECTION HOT AND COLD
4C. Change of State
4C30.30 AIR BALLOON ON LIQUID NITROGEN
4C30.34 LIQUID NITROGEN POPPERS
4C31.30 DRINKING BIRD
4C33.50 PULSE GLASS
4D. Kinetic Theory
4D60.61 DIFFUSION - FOOD COLOR IN WATER
4E. Gas Law
4E10.20 HELIUM BALLOON ON LIQUID NITROGEN
4E20.40 BOYLED MARSHMALLOWS
4F. Entropy and the Second Law
4F30.10 STIRLING ENGINE
4F50.12 THERMOELECTRIC FAN

5. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

5A. Electrostatics
5A10.10 TRIBOELECTRICITY - CHARGING BY FRICTION
5A10.13 CHARGED BALLOONS
5A20.10 ELECTROSTATIC FORCES - CHARGED CYLINDERS
5A20.20xx PITH BALLS
5A20.23xx ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
5A20.25 VAN DE GRAAFF PING PONG
5A20.26 REPULSION OF PIE PANS
5A20.30 JUMPING RABBIT
5A40.20xx CAN OR PAPER TOWEL CORE ATTRACTED TO CHARGED ROD
5A30.10 CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS
5A50.30 VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR WITH GROUND SPHERE
5A50.51xx ELECTROSTATIC MOTOR
5B. Electric Fields and Potential
5B10.10 ELECTROSTATIC HAIR RAISING
5B10.40 ELECTRIC FIELD BETWEEN ELECTRODES
5B20.35 FARADAY CAGE - RADIOWAVES
5B30.30 LIGHTNING ROD SIMULATOR
5B30.40 ELECTRIC WIND
5C. Capacitance
5C10.10 CAPACITORS
5C10.20xx PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
5C30.20 DISCHARGE OF CAPACITOR WITH BANG
5C30.30 ENERGY STORED IN A CAPACITOR
5D. Resistance
5D40.10 JACOB'S LADDER
5D40.30 GLOWING PICKLE
5E. Electromotive Force and Current
5F. DC Circuits
5F10.10 PHET OHM'S LAW SIMULATION
5F15.10 ENERGY CONVERSION - IMMERSION HEATER
5F20.50 SERIES AND PARALLEL LIGHT BULBS
5F20.51 12V LIGHT BULB BOARD
5F30.10 CURRENT IN RC CIRCUIT
5F30.11xx LIGHT THE BULB
5F30.15 RC CIRCUIT - RC TIME CONSTANT
5F30.60 BLINKING NEON LAMP
5G. Magnetic Materials
5G10.10 MAGNET
5G10.20 BROKEN MAGNET
5G20.71 ELECTROMAGNET WITH JUNK
5G50.15 CURIE POINT OF NICKEL
5H. Magnetic Fields and Forces
5H10.11xx COMPASS NEEDLES AND MAGNETS
5H10.20 OERSTED'S EFFECT
5H10.30 MAGNETIC FIELD OF A BAR MAGNET
5H15.10 MAGNETIC FIELDS AROUND CURRENTS
5H15.40xx SOLENOID AND IRON FILINGS
5H30.10 CATHODE RAY TUBE - DEFLECTION BY MAGNET
5H40.10 FORCE BETWEEN CURRENT-CARRYING WIRES
5H40.16xx COMPRESSION OF A CURRENT CARRYING SPRING
5H40.30 JUMPING WIRE
5H40.35 FORCE BETWEEN CURRENT-CARRYING COILS
5H50.32xx INTERACTING SOLENOIDS
5J. Inductance
5J10.20 PARALLEL LR CIRCUIT: BURNT BULB
5K. Electromagnetic Induction
5K10.15 INDUCTION IN A SINGLE WIRE
5K10.20xx INDUCTION COIL WITH MAGNET AND GALVANOMETER
5K10.60 EARTH COIL
5K20.10 EDDY CURRENT PENDULUM
5K20.24 COPPER BLOCK AND MAGNET
5K20.25 LENZ'S LAW - MAGNET IN ALUMINUM TUBE
5K20.30 THOMSON'S COIL
5K20.65xx ELECTROMAGNETIC CAN CRUSHER
5K40.10xx DC MOTOR
5K40.80 HAND CRANK GENERATOR
5M. Semiconductors and Tubes
5N. Electromagnetic Radiation
5N20.50 NEON TUBE AND PLASMA BALL

6. OPTICS

6A. Geometrical Optics
6A10.15 SCATTERING OF LASER BEAM
6A20.10 BLACKBOARD OPTICS
6A20.35 PIG AND PARABOLIC MIRRORS
6A20.36 APPARENT REFLECTION FROM REAL IMAGE
6A20.45 LARGE CONVEX AND CONCAVE MIRRORS
6A40.30 DISAPPEARING BEAKER
6A42.45 REFRACTION - ROD IN WATER
6A44.20 TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION IN LONG TANK
6A44.40 PLEXIGLASS SPIRAL
6B. Photometry
6C. Diffraction
6C10.10 LASER DIFFRACTION - FIXED SINGLE SLIT
6C10.15 LASER DIFFRACTION - VARIABLE SINGLE SLIT
6C20.30 LASER DIFFRACTION - PINHOLES
6D. Interference
6D20.10 LASER DIFFRACTION - MULTIPLE SLITS
6E. Interference
6F. Color
6F10.10 COLOR MIXING - PROJECTORS
6H. Polarization
6H10.10 POLAROIDS AND HALOGEN LAMP
6H10.11 CROSSED POLAROIDS - E FIELD COMPONENTS
6J. The Eye
6Q. Modern Optics

7. MODERN PHYSICS

7A. Quantum Effects
7A10.10 PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT IN ZINC
7B. Atomic Physics
7B10.10xx SPECTRA AND DIFRACTION GRATING
7B10.17 SPECTROSCOPE
7D. Nuclear Physics
7D10.10 GEIGER COUNTER
7E. Elementary Particles
7F. Relativity

8. ASTRONOMY

8A. Planetary Astronomy
8A10.80 TRANSPARENT CELESTIAL GLOBE
8B. Stellar Astronomy
8C. Cosmology

9. EQUIPMENT

9A. Support Systems
9B. Electronic
9C. Mechanical


For comments on this document please e-mail Mr. Vic Muzzin, vwmuzzin@mtu.edu, or send comments by phone or to the mailing address on the home page.

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