Demonstrations

Air Track

Description: Gliders of equal, or different, mass can be used for various momentum demonstrations. The gliders have springs for elastic collisions and there is putty available to adapt them for totally inelastic collisions. Track is powered by the blue vacuum shown in the picture.

Required Items:

setup time: < 10 minutes


Cart Track

Description: Carts of equal, or different, mass can be used for various momentum demonstrations. The carts have springs for elastic collisions and there is putty available to adapt them for totally inelastic collisions. Weights may be placed on top of the carts to increase their mass.

Required Items:

setup time: < 10 minutes


Loop the Loop

Description: Demonstration of the interplay between kinetic and gravitational potential energy. Golf balls are rolled down the track's channel.

Required Items:

setup time: < 10 minutes


Center of Mass Hammer

Description: Center of mass demonstration. LED is mounted at the center of mass of the hammer. When the hammer is thrown, the led traces out a 'smooth' ballistic trajectory.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Pulley Demo

Description: Show various combinations of pulleys and mechanical advantage.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Ball Drop

Description: Two balls are released at the same time (released pin strikes one and moves out from inside the other). One ball drops straight down. The other ball is projected horizontally. Both balls hit the floor at the same time.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Monkey and Hunter

Description: A plastic ball is projected by the device in the left photo at the target in the right photo. The target is held by a magnet and drops at the same time the ball leaves the 'gun'. Careful alignment is required.

Required Items:

setup time: 10-15 minutes


Penny and Feather

Description: A penny and feather are located inside of a long (somewhat heavy) glass tube. The air is pumped out of the tube with the vacuum pump on a cart (not shown). The two object fall at the same rate when there is no air in the tube. It is best to pump the tube down first and then open the value to demonstrate the effect when air is present.

Required Items:

setup time: 5 minutes


Torque

Description: Simple demonstration of torque using a meter stick and weights.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Turntable seat

Description: Turntable seat for angular momentum conservation demo. Various weight blocks are available to be hand-held (pull arms in when spinning to increase angular speed, etc).

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Bicycle Wheel and Hidden-Wheel Breifcase

Description: Wheels for angular momentum conservation demo. The briefcase wheel can be spun up, then closed and handed to a student to demonstrate the gyro's resistance to change in direction.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Rocket Sled

Description: Demonstration of Newton's 3rd law. Requires modified CO2 fire extinguisher. (The fire extinguisher are filled by the W&M fire department. If no extinguishers are full, this can take a couple of days.) Use care when doing this demonstration. Wheels of the sled are only suitable for smooth floors.

Required Items:

setup time: < 10 minutes


Gyroscopes

Description: Demonstration for conservation of angular momentum.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Bowling Ball Pendulum

Description: Can be mounted in either Small 111 (big lecture room). Small 110 (smaller lecture room) has a pedulum that is accesable from the HVAC room above the lectuer hall (via the demo. room back door). Note:Pendulum in picure is not in the renovated Small Hall.

Required Items:


Swinging Water pail

Description: Centripetal force demonstration

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Newton's Cradle

Description: Glass one lights up on impact.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Torsional Pendulum

Description: Wire or string attachment.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Floating CO2Puck

Description: Put small CO2 cartridges in the handle (unscrews), and the puck floats on the gas coming out of a small hole on the bottom. Usefull for "frictionless" motion demonstrations.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Vector Example

Description: Used to show a physical "vector" with magnitude and direction. Can be used to explain the symbols for a vector coming into, and out of, the board.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Bed of Nails

Description: Blow up baloon to show that it won't pop because the pressure is distributed over a large area, versus a single nail which will pop it.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Bed of Nails #2

Description: Blow up baloon to show that it won't pop because the pressure is distributed over a large area, versus a single nail which will pop it.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Metal-band Oscillator

Description: Oscillator using two thin bands of metal. Place masses on the top, displace it to the side, and it oscillates horizontally. Period of oscillations depends on intertial mass, not gravitational mass.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Rocket Balls

Description: Dropping the stack of balls on its end shoots the small top red ball higher thatn it would bounce on its own if dropped from the same height.

Required Items:


Bounce No-Bounce Balls

Description: The balls look and feel identical, but one is made of rubber with significant space between the molecules allowing it to compress, while the other has little or no space between the molecules of rubber, allowing little or no compression at all.

Required Items:


Fan Cart

Description: The cart will role when the fan is turned on. If the plastic shield is attached, the motion will cease.

Required Items:


Inertial Ball Experiment

Description: Lay the platic spacer on top of the pedestal. Then, place the ball on the spacer, pull back metal the tab and release. The plastic spaer should have been knocked from under the ball, and the ball should be resting on the top of the pedestal.

Required Items:


Newton Beeds

Description: Give a sharp downward pull to start the motion of the beeds. Intertia will cause the motion to continue and the bucket will empty. Refill the bucket carefully by layering the beads to the top. (do not tangle or the demonstration will not work)

Required Items:


Racing Marbles

Description: Marbles released from same height at same time will reach the end of the track at different times. Energy is conserved.

Required Items:


Harbottle

Description: Inflate inner balloon and insert cork. Remove mouth and the balloon will remain inflated. Demonstrates fluid pressure and presure reduction.

Required Items:


Magniburg Hemispheres

Description: Pump the balls down with a vacuum pump to demonstrate that the strength of the pressure pushing on the outside from atmosphere is greater than that of the pressure on the inside. Handles allow students to pull on it, or to attach weights.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Masses on Springs

Description: Masses on Springs to demonstrate simple harmonic motion.

Required Items:

setup time: < 5 minutes


Misc. Avaliable Equipment

BB Gun

Spring-powered


Bat


Lab Jacks


Masses

Description: Various masses are avaliable. Spheres, hanging masses, stackable plates, and large ( >1kg) masses.


Small Springs


Long Springs

Description: Approx. 10 foot long steel springs.


Hanging Mass Gauges

Description: Various sizes


Bathroom Scale


Clamps and Brackets

Description: Various clamps and brackets for holding things. Used with the various rods and rod stands in the demo room.


Various Blocks

Description: Blocks of various sizes and materials (wood, Aluminum). Used for weights, stands, etc.


Big Pendulum

Description: Large clock-type pendulum on a rod, whos length may be varied.


Pulleys

Description: Various pulley, some with clamps attached to mount them, some attached to rods which can them be mounted.


Small Cylinders

Description: Useful for rolling down an incline for moment of inertia destrations.


Suction Cups

Description: One large industrial suction cup and two small.


Vacuum Mat


Rotating Platform


Transducers

setup time: < 5 minutes


Slinky

Description: Plastic and metal

setup time: < 5 minutes