Physics Demo Manual

Demonstrations are cataloged according to PIRA Bibliography

PLEASE REQUEST DEMOS WELL IN ADVANCE

Due to Physics Building renovations, the lead time to set up demo requests has increased due to the need to transport equipment across campus. Please be kind and let me know well ahead of time what you need.

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Surface Tension
Fluid Statics: Hydrostatic Pressure dependence on depth; video - Pascal's Vases; Hydraulic Press; video - Balloon in Vacuum; Marshmallow Man; video - Crush the Soda Can; Magdeburg Hemispheres; Pressure Gauges; Qualitative Pressure Gauge; video - Archimedes' Principle I; Archimedes' Principle II; Archimedes Principle III; Cartesian Diver; Buoyancy of Air; video - Weight of Air
Fluid Dynamics

Marshmallow Man

Purpose:

To demonstrate the effect of the Atmospheric Pressure on fluffy air filled marshmallow puffs.

Procedure:

By Rico Shen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

DEMO VIDEO DOWNLOAD

Build a "Marshmallow Man" on a wire stick figure, place it inside the vacuum chamber and pump out the air. The Marshmallow Man will turn into a "Michelin Man" but even with the air being pumped out might begin to shrink once all the air is out of the marshmallow puffs. Let the air back in the bell jar and watch the Michelin man go limp.

Hints:

Bring your own marshmallows. We do not stock them since they do not store too well.