Exploring the Magic of Physics

HC407 Exploring the Magic of Physics via Hands-on Service Learning [syllabus]

• 2017
• 2017: Electromagnetics
• Jacob Cook
• Certain materials can produce permanent magnetic fields because of how they are atomically structured. Voltages can create an electric potential, which can be used to induce current through a conducting material such as copper wire. Magnetism and electricity, two seemingly different concepts, are together governed by the same electromagnetic force. The interaction of the electromagnetic field permits current within wires to induce magnetic fields surrounding the current. In contrast, external magnetic fields can even cause current-carrying wires to experience force. This force can be utilized to create basic motors that can convert electric energy into kinetic energy. The series of experiments in this demonstration seek to convey the fundamentally invisible nature of the electromagnetic realm through a series of interactive exhibits that anyone can play with. Ultimately, these demonstrations will invoke enthusiasm within the viewing audience and will educate the public about the hidden world of physics.
• 2017: Hydraulic Claw
• Michael Rebarchik
• To demonstrate the underlying physics behind hydraulics in a fun and hands-on approach, a hydraulic claw was constructed out of particle board and plastic syringes. Liquids are incompressible so any pressure exerted on a liquid will be felt by all surfaces in contact with it. By varying the area over which a pressure is exerted, the resulting force can be controlled. The hydraulic claw demonstrates how the incompressibility of liquids can be used advantageously and teaches kids about the fundamentals of hydraulics.
• 2017: Paper Airplanes
• McKenzie Meyer
• As technology is advancing in today’s age, more jobs are opening up in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, and more people are needed in these fields. Along with the need for more workers in these fields, STEM is always expanding on amazing discoveries, and it is just wonderful in general. To make sure that the world fills the needs in these job fields, and to get the public interested in the cool outcomes of the STEM fields, we need to start early with the amazement and wonder of discovery. My project focuses on young kids specifically and gives them a simple activity that they not only have fun completing but also start to learn the basics of STEM and the phenomena that is physics. Using my prior knowledge and expanding on it with designs found from other people, I was able to create my project of a paper airplane building and flying competition for young kids. While the project is geared toward little kids, people of all ages will still enjoy the activity, even though they have already learned the STEM material presented in this project. I believe this project is a good starting place for introducing kids into the STEM field and showing them that even the simplest things in life are incorporated in the STEM field.
• 2017: Quantum Magnetic Levitation
• Austin Mullins & Zach Steinberg
• The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the principles of quantum magnetic levitation in a way that will get prospective students excited about participating in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field. A superconductor made of yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) can suspend a magnet in the air when the superconductor is cooled to a point below its critical temperature. This process gives the impression that the magnet is “floating” by itself. The floating magnet will be an exciting sight for students as they learn about the Meissner effect through this simple demonstration.
• 2017: Scanimation!
• Arek Engstrom
• The goal for this project was to develop an interactive and fun activity for students grades K-12 for use at different outreach events. “Scanimation!” is an activity that allows students to create their very own animations via the use of a grid printed on an overhead transparent and specially designed images printed on regular 8.5”x11” printer paper. The “Scanimation!” activity was designed to teach students about the technology behind the development of animation and moving pictures as well as provide an fun optical illusion that they can take home and show their friends and family.
• 2017: Wind Tunnel
• Patrick Flynn & Tanner Simpson
• The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the principles of drag and aerodynamics in a digestible manner to K-12 students. This objective was completed by creating a model wind tunnel that is testable for small models of vehicles and other objects. The apparatus was designed for maximum visibility of air flow and disruptions for a crowd of people. The device was constructed using a fan that pushes dry ice smoke through a clear, five inch diameter, acrylic tube. The fan was made to be removable, allowing for swapping out of cars in the center of the tube. Though small in size and relatively cheap with materials, the demonstration illustrates drag and aerodynamics well. The apparatus exhibits behavior similar to much more grandeur wind tunnels.
• 2016
• 2016: Fishbowl and other Spinners
• Katherine Hercher
• The push for STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, is needed in this day and age more than ever before. Getting kids interested in STEM is important for their mental development and problem solving skills. My interest was starting at the youngest levels and getting them interested. People’s minds are less open the older they get, so starting young is imperative. I wanted to do a simple activity that could be creative, the kids could do themselves, something they could show others, and something that would make them learn. I saw an activity online that would be perfect and modified it to do on a larger scale. Using a computer program, I was able to modify the activity and expand on the initial idea. I believe this is a fun activity for children, and that it is an activity that will open their minds to the creativity used in STEM.
• 2016: Gluten: Not Just an Allergen
• Ben Rosene
• Gluten has been under public scrutiny for the last couple years given the rise of gluten allergies and sensitivity, in addition to the population affected by Celiac disease, a genetic disease whose symptoms include extreme allergies to gluten. However, much of the population has no knowledge of gluten beyond the fact that it is an allergen found in bread. Making bread can be a lot of fun, and this experiment leverages that to impart knowledge through hands-on exploration. This experiment is designed to highlight the effect of gluten (and by extension, kneading), on the strength and flexibility of bread doughs.
• 2016: Hydroelectric Dam Model
• Philip Harman, Duncan O’Boyle, & Kurt Reinschmidt
• The purpose of this project was to provide a brief explanation of how hydroelectric dams function via physical demonstration. The demonstration was designed to appeal to adults and youth. The final product is a large, clear box comprised of two chambers. Water is added to the first chamber and allowed to flow into the second by passing through a turbine, which in turn generates electricity and powers a small lightbulb on the top of the box. The box provides a simplified cutaway view of how a real hydroelectric dam functions.
• 2016: “K’Nex Derby” Demonstration Showing the Effect of Weight Placement on Speed
• Greg Heinonen & Allison Tep
• The objective of the project is to design and build a race track to help elementary school children understand the physics of weight distribution and its effect on speed. By providing a K’nex car and a 12 ft track, the students will be able to add weight in washers around the back or front structure of the car. Weight distribution has been proven to have a significant effect on the speed of a car moving down a track. Weight focused in the back of the car will cause the speed to increase, whereas weight focused in the front of the car will not allow the car to move as fast. Increasing the weight in the back of the car will increase the potential energy of the car at the top of the track and increase the speed of the car as it moves down the track and its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.
• 2016: Mechanics of Cameras and Time Lapse Video
• Haruka Tomishima
• The experiment looked at the mechanism of cameras and the process of making a time lapse video. Specifically, this experiment focused on the filming of decomposing food and any sort of bacterial growth over time. A variety of food was assembled, such as bread, cheese, fruits, vegetables, and processed meat, and it was left in a chemical vent hood with a Nikon D90 camera taking photos every 40 minutes. The results showed that there were not enough bacterial growth in an environment such as the chemical vent hood, and the pictures captured resulted in a time lapse video of 48 seconds.
• 2016: Pendulum Wave Machine
• Keaton Scheible
• The objective of this project was to create a fun and exciting demonstration that would fascinate people of all ages and get them interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The pendulum wave machine helps demonstrate physics concepts, such as periodicity, traveling waves, standing waves, beat frequencies, and gravitational acceleration. The pendulum wave machine is composed of fifteen uncoupled pendulums with monotonically increasing string lengths. All of the pendulums have a common period of 1 minute and the frequency of oscillation of each successive pendulum increases by 1 oscillation per minute. When the pendulums are all held at a common angle and then released, each pendulum oscillates back and forth independent from one another, but when viewed as a whole, the pendulums seem to dance together in harmony at certain times, and it appears to be in complete disarray at other times. After 1 minute, this cycle will repeat itself.