ANNOTATED LIST OF ACTIVITIES
Avalanche
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Avalanche.pdf
A mixture of salt and
sand is placed in a CD case. When the case is tilted or inverted, the mixture
dramatically sorts into a layered pattern. The sorting process involves the
angle of repose and the Brazil Nut Effect. This type of sorting can be found in
geology, and it is extremely important in industrial processes where mixtures
of powders are involved.
'
Catapult
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Catapult.pdf
A small catapult, made
from simple materials, e.g., wooden tongue depressors/craft sticks, a plastic
spoon, a rubber band, a clothespin, etc.
'
Mystery Box
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities//Mystery_Box.pdf
A clear, colorless
liquid is poured into a funnel at the top of a box, and comes out into a
container at the bottom. What happened in the box? The process is repeated,
only this time the liquid comes out colored. What's going on? A third
repetition gives still another different color! And a fourth trial results in
no liquid coming out the bottom at all! What will a fifth trial do? Or a sixth?
The challenge is to figure out what's going on in the box, without seeing the
inside. This is the sort of problem faced by scientists investigating the
nature of the atom, since it is impossible to 'open up' the atom and take a
look inside. Instead, the process involves a series of observations,
hypotheses, predictions, tests, and conclusions, all of which may have to
undergo revision as new behavior is observed.
'
Fan Cart
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Fan_Cart.pdf
If a sailboat is
stranded because there is no wind, is it possible to set up a fan on deck and
blow wind into the sail to make the boat move? This is a classic physics
problem which you can explore here by using simple materials to build a
low-friction cart with a removable motor and a removable sail. This is an
elegant way to demonstrate Newton's Laws in action.
'
Magnetic Free Fall
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Magnetic_Free_Fall.pdf
A very simple
demonstration in which gravitational and magnetic forces act on two falling
objects to produce an unexpected result that elegantly illustrates Newton's
Second Law.
'
Piezo Remote
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Piezo_Remote.pdf
A piezoelectric igniter,
like those used as barbecue lighters, is used here to remotely start current
flowing in a simple circuit containing a small electric fan. The explanation
for how this happens is not obvious.
'
Ambiguous
Cube
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Ambiguous_Cube.pdf
Some objects or figures
can be seen or interpreted in more
than one way. They provide visual input that your brain can interpret in more
than one way, and are quite logically described as ambiguous. In this activityyou will construct a
three-dimensional cube that can be
startlingly ambiguous. Strange things happen when your brain gets confused.
'
Skippy
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Skippy.pdf
A small inexpensive dc
motor with an off-center mass mounted on its shaft is used to create a vibrating object that bounces around on
a table top. By adjusting variables such as the lengths of the legs, the motion
can be changed, and even controlled to some extent.
'
Electroplating
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Electroplating.pdf
Electroplating is a
process in which electric current is used to plate a metal onto an object
,e.g., chrome-plated trim or wheels on a car, chrome-plated bathroom fixtures,
gold-plated or silver-plated jewelry. This activity explores two examples of
electroplating. In Part 1, zinc from a galvanized nail (an iron nail which has
been coated with zinc by dipping it in molten zinc) will be plated onto a
copper penny, making it look "silver." In Part 2, copper from a penny
will be plated onto a nickel.
'
Over the Hill
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Over_the_Hill.pdf
A large marble is rolled
along a track made from a commonly available and inexpensive metal shelf
bracket. The track is gently bent so that there is a flat portion, then a small hill, and finally
a steep uphill portion. The object is to roll the ball so that it goes over the
first hill, but does not come back over it -- it should remain in the dip
between the two hills. The process involves nice illustrations of the interplay
of kinetic energy, potential energy and friction.This is a table-top version of
an old carnival game which uses a bowling ball on a steel track.
'
Shake Table
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Shake_Table.pdf
An eccentric mass
mounted on the shaft of a small dc motor vibrates a platform resting on marbles
as bearings, simulating the shaking of an earthquake. Structures can be
simulated with wooden blocks, pasta, or a variety of other simple materials.
Adjusting the speed of the motor allows you to find the resonant frequency
which will topple a particular structure. Other earth-science-related
activities, such as liquefaction or seismography, can also be investigated.
'
Paper Tape Motion Timer
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Paper_Tape_Motion_Timer.pdf
A recording timer made
from simple materials (e.g., small dc motor, sharpie pen, craft sticks, adding
machine paper tape, etc.) produces a record of motion for things like toy cars,
falling objects, etc. The resulting record, in the form of marks on the paper
tape, can be used to tell the story of the motion, create graphical
representations of the motion, and obtain information about displacement,
velocity and acceleration.
'
Springs and Stomachs
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Springs_and_Stomachs.pdf
'
Five-Layer Density
Column
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Five-Layer_Density_Column.pdf
Five commonly available
liquids and some food coloring are used
to create strikingly colorful layered density column.
'
Cylindrical Wing
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Cylindrical_Wing.pdf
'
Light Box
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Light_Box.pdf
'
Penguins and Other Toys
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Penguins_and_Other_Toys.pdf
'
Stretch the Chain and
See the Light
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Stretch_the_Chain_and_See_the_Light.pdf
A chain made from paper
clips is placed in series with a battery and flashlight bulb. When the chain is
stretched, the light bulb glows brighter. The explanation lies in decreased
electrical resistance due to better contact between the paper clips as the
chain is stretched.
'
Pendulum Snake
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Pendulum_Snake.pdf
Several large steel
hex-nuts are suspended on strings of successively increasing length to form a
series of pendulums with successively increasing periods. When all pendulums
are released simultaneously with the same amplitude, they gradually form an
undulating snake-like pattern, and
then undergo further changes which are fascinating from both a visual
and mathematical perspective.
'
Marshmallow Puff Tube
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Marshmallow_Puff_Tube.pdf
A regular size
marshmallow is blown through a
tube made from a manila file folder. The result is spectacular, and the process
provides a great illustration of Newton's 2nd Law, F=ma.
'
Sweetly Balanced
Equations
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Sweetly_Balanced_Equations.pdf
Pieces of candy will be
used to represent atoms in chemical equations. Different colors will represent
different atoms. Candy used in cludes colored m&m's, red and black Red Vine
Pieces, silver-wrapped Hershey Kisses, and mini-marshmallows. Balancing an
equation requires that both sides of the equation contain the same number of
each kind of atom/m&m.
'
Cake by Conduction
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Cake_by_Conduction.pdf
Cook a cake by passing
electric current directly though the cake batter!
'
Toilet Model
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Toilet_Model.pdf
PVC pipe, plastic water bottles
and vinyl tubing tubing are used to make a simple working toilet model. The
model shows the role of a siphon in the flushing of a toilet.
'
Free-Fall Bottles &
Tubes
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Free-Fall_Bottles_&_Tubes.pdf
Water-filled plastic
bottles with holes in them spurt water under normal conditions, but don't leak
while in free-fall. A ping-pong ball in a water-filled plastic tube floats
upward under normal conditions, but remains motionless when the tube is dropped
or thrown.
'
Laser Lissajous: Binder
Clip Version
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Laser_Lissajous.pdf
Use a laser pointer and
two small rotating mirrors to create a variety of fascinating patterns, which
can be easily and dramatically projected on a wall or screen. These patterns
are related to the path followed by a rider on a dual-axis (scrambler) ride at
an amusement park, and to Lissajous figures. Binder Clip Version refers to the
materials used for construction of the base.
'
Laser Lissajous: PVC
Version
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Laser_Lissajous_PVC.pdf
Use a laser pointer and
two small rotating mirrors to create a variety of fascinating patterns, which
can be easily and dramatically projected on a wall or screen. These patterns
are related to the path followed by a rider on a dual-axis (scrambler) ride at
an amusement park, and to Lissajous figures. PVC Version refers to the
materials used for construction of the base.
'
Laser Lissajous Pattern
Formation
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Laser_Lissajous_Pattern_Formation.pdf
Detailed explanation of
one example of pattern formation for the Laser Lissajous device, based on the
analogy with a dual-axis (scrambler) amusement park ride.
Escapement
http://www.exo.net/~donr/activities/Escapement.pdf
Build a simple mechanism
that regulates the "escape" of energy released by a falling weight by
portioning it into discrete amounts. Escapements are found in mechanical
clocks, such as those driven by a pendulum or a spring.
'