PY138 Demos - Spring 1999

BU Physics demo room home page

Course schedule: MWF 2 pm in SCI 111 - Chasan

Day 1 - 1-11-99

Day 2 - 1-13-99
The statistics of repeatability

• Using a ball launcher, fire at a carbon-paper target on the floor several times to record the different points of impact.

Day 3 - 1-15-99
Newton's laws

• spring-apart carts with extra masses

Day 4 - 1-20-99
Newton's laws

• mass and spring scale (model of elevator)

Day 5 - 1-22-99
Uniform circular motion

• Ball on a string 1D50.10
• Pail of water 1D50.40
• Falling off the merry-go-round 1D55.30

Day 6 - 1-25-99
Circular motion; energy

• Loop-the-loop 1D50.30
• Ball to throw
• Wind-up toy

Day 7 - 1-27-99
Energy

• Stopped pendulum 1M40.15
• Pile driver and pop cans 1M10.25
• Slingshot

Day 8 - 1-29-99
Diffusion

• Food coloring in water
• PASCO molecular motion model 4D30.12
• PC running Diffusion from Chaos Demonstrations

Day 9 - 2-1-99
Ideal gases

• Constant volume bulb 4E30.10
• Boyle's law syringe

Day 11 - 2-5-99
Work in thermodynamic systems

• Heat engine 4F30.15
• Temperature increase with a bicycle pump

Day 12 - 2-8-99
Work in thermodynamic systems

• Stirling engine 4F30.10
• Model of a steam engine

2-19-99
Sensitivity to initial conditions

• PC running Logistic Map from Chaos Simulations

2-22-99
Sensitivity to initial conditions

• transparency pen and drawing triangle to plot graph for Logistic Map

3-1-99
Chaos in simple systems

• TV camera and monitor for video feedback
• bifurcation in simple diode-inductor circuit (30 kHz - vary input amplitude to see chaotic behavior)

3-5-99
Chaos in simple systems

• Viscous fingering (from Bernie)

3-15-99
Waves

• Pulse on a long spring 3B10.10

3-17-99
Waves

• Pulses and standing waves on a long spring 3B10.10

3-19-99
Waves; Interference and Diffraction

• Standing waves 3B22.10
• Single slit and laser 6C10.10
• Double slit and laser 6D10.10

3-22-99
Quantum effects

• Photo-electric effect in zinc 7A10.10

3-29-99
Waves - Beats

• Beat tuning forks 3B60.10 with scope

3-31-99
Atomic spectra

• Student gratings and line sources 7B10.10

4-21-99
Spontaneous ordering

• oil and water in a glass bottle - shake, and it un-mixes