PHYSICS
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See the essay Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA
by Dr. R. Standler at
http://www.rbs2.com/labinj.htm
which discusses the law in the USA about injuries to pupils or
students in school or college science laboratories.
This book is a compilation of many of the demonstrations that have been used at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in the teaching of elementary physics over the years as well as a number of demonstrations that I have developed for use in a series of popular lectures, "The Wonders of Physics," aimed at the general public and children in particular. Included also are a number of demonstrations that have been suggested and used by friends or colleagues. All of the demonstrations have been thoroughly tested in a classroom setting or before an audience of the general public.
To write a book that purports to describe all possible physics demonstrations would be a formidable task since the discipline of physics is so all-encompassing. Instead, I have selected demonstrations that are especially dramatic or provocative, as well as some of the standard demonstrations that can be presented in unusual ways. In part, this reflects my feeling that it is necessary to get the attention of the students and convince them that physics is interesting before any real learning can occur, but also because there seems to be little help available for the instructor who wants to improve the quality of his or her presentation. This book is thus not meant to contain a complete set of demonstrations for the teaching of elementary physics, but rather to provide the instructor with ideas for new demonstrations and better ways to present old ones.
There are many other books on physics demonstrations listed in the bibliography. A number of these are far more complete than the book I have written. Some are quite old and do not make use of the advances in instrumentation of the past few decades. I have attempted to complement these works by concentrating less on the description of the apparatus, much of which is now well-known and commercially available, but more on techniques for bringing them to life and generating interest in them. For example, I have included historical anecdotes and other commentary to add to the interest and have suggested alternate uses for the apparatus. I have provided brief explanations of those facets of the demonstrations that may not be obvious to a trained physicist or physics teacher. I have also emphasized safety more than is usual in such books.
The usual style of books on physics demonstrations is to list the important concepts and to give a large number of demonstrations to illustrate each one. The majority of these demonstrations, though pedagogically sound, are not very suitable because they require close, careful measurement, or they are not easily visible to a large audience, or they are simply not very exciting. They belong in a laboratory, not as part of a lecture. I have taken a different approach, in that I describe the demonstrations first and then mention the many physics concepts that are illustrated. This departure from the usual teaching mode in which the concepts are introduced sequentially has proved especially effective for informal presentations to the public and to children who have not studied physics.
When I cause a soap bubble filled with methane gas to explode by touching a lighted candle to it (section 2.4), no one in the audience is asleep, and I can proceed to discuss thin films, surface tension, Archimedes' principle or any number of other related topics with their full attention. There are certainly more "scientific" ways to demonstrate the variation of the speed of sound with the density of a gas than by breathing helium and sulfur hexafluoride (section 3.1), but few students will forget the result, and it is hard to resist wanting to know the explanation. The talking head (section 6.5) and Pepper's ghost (section 6.6) are extraordinarily elaborate demonstrations of the rather simple ideas of the total and partial reflection of light off the interface between two media, but when one contrasts this method with the way such concepts are usually taught, it is no wonder why physics has the reputation of being dry and uninteresting.
It is my hope that this book and the accompanying video cassette tapes of "The Wonders of Physics" will also inspire teachers of physics to take the demonstrations beyond the classroom to the general public. All that is required is a notice to the media and a carefully planned, fast paced presentation of 20 to 30 demonstrations. Such a program never fails to attract an enthusiastic audience. The public is hungry for entertainment with educational value, and demonstrations such as described in this book will appeal to adults and children alike.
My own program is a yearly event with the best of the old demonstrations and about half new ones each year. The program is repeated several times in the space of a week or two to accommodate the demand. This is preferable to using a larger hall in which it might be difficult to see many of the demonstrations. The schedule avoids saturating the interest and permits adequate time to develop dramatic new demonstrations. The demonstrations for the general public generate a continual demand for special presentations to schools and other groups.
This book is intended for use by those with a good knowledge of physics, and thus the scientific principles involved are not explained in great detail. Many elementary physics texts are available to fill this need.
The apparatus required for the demonstrations varies considerably in complexity. Some of the demonstrations can be done with equipment available at home or from a local hardware store. Others are best constructed from components found in a well-equipped physics laboratory or available from specialized mail-order vendors. In such cases, I have tried to provide references to articles that describe the construction or have outlined the important considerations that must go into the design, but I have largely avoided a cookbook approach to the assembly of the required apparatus since there is usually great leeway in the design depending upon the resources available. Some of the more complicated demonstrations are available ready-made from vendors of scientific apparatus, and in such cases I have included possible sources in a footnote.
Although most of the demonstrations are completely safe, a few involve potential dangers and should be carried out only by someone knowledgeable in physics as well as experimental technique. The dangers include burns from heat, caustic chemicals and high frequency electricity; frostbite from handling cryogenic materials; cuts especially from broken glassware; explosions from high pressure gases and volatile substances; implosions from evacuated glassware; asphyxiation; electrocution; eye damage from lasers; and exposure to radioactivity. The major hazards are mentioned, but a large dose of caution and a respect for the forces of nature are essential.
I am indebted to many people in the preparation of this work. The book is patterned after Chemical Demonstrations by Professor Bassam Shakhashiri whose example and encouragement also inspired "The Wonders of Physics" lectures. Many of the demonstrations have been handed down within the University of Wisconsin Physics Department for so many years that their origin is unknown. Others have come from the suggestions of friends and colleagues too numerous to mention. To all who have contributed, I offer my sincere thanks.
Julien Clinton Sprott
Professor of Physics
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
April 1996
Donald W. Kerst, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Lawrence S. Lerner, California State University, Long Beach, CA
Kenneth C. Maas, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Edward E. Miller, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Mary C. Moebius, Verona Middle School, Verona, WI
Paul D. Nonn, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Elizabeth Steinberg, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Teri L. Vierima, Wisconsin Radiation Protection Council, Madison, WI
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Blasi, R.C., Ed. Physics Fun and Demonstrations with Professor Julius Sumner Miller, Central Scientific Company: Franklin Park, Illinois (1974).
Bolton, W. Physics Experiments and Projects, Pergamon Press: Oxford (1968).
Brown, T. B., Ed. Advanced Undergraduate Experiments in Physics, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company: Reading, Massachusetts (1959).
Bulman, A. D. Model-Making for Physicists, Crowell Company: New York (1964).
Bulman, A. D. Models for Experiments in Physics, Crowell Company: New York (1966).
Cherrier, F. Fascinating Experiments in Physics, Sterling Publishing Company: New York (1978).
Edge, R. D. String and Sticky Tape Experiments, American Association of Physics Teachers: College Park, Maryland (1981).
Ehrlich, R. Turning the World Inside Out, Princeton University Press: Princeton, New Jersey (1990).
Esler, W. K. Modern Physics Experiments for the High School, Parker Publishing Company: West Nyack, New York (1970).
Freier, G. D., and F. J. Anderson. A Demonstration Handbook forPhysics, 2d ed., American Association of Physics Teachers: Stony Brook, New York (1981).
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Herbert, D. Mr. Wizard's Supermarket Science, Random House: New York (1980).
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Robinson, H. A., Ed. Lecture Demonstrations in Physics, American Institute of Physics: New York (1963).
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Shakhashiri, B. Z. Chemical Demonstrations, The University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, Wisconsin, Vol 1 (1983), Vol 2 (1985).
Sutton, R. M., Ed. Demonstration Experiments in Physics, McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York (1938).
Taylor, C. The Art and Science of Lecture Demonstration, American Institute of Physics: New York (1988).
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