Physics Demo Manual

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.

Measurement  Motion In One Dimension  Motion In Two Dimensions  Newton's First Law  Newton's Second Law  Weighing   video  - The Atwood Machine   video  - Helium Balloon Accelerometer  Float Accelerometer  Newton's Third Law  Statics Of Rigid Bodies  Applications Of Newton's Laws  Gravity  Work and Energy  Momentum  Rotational Motion  Properties of Matter

video  - Helium Balloon Accelerometer Purpose: Archimedean inertial force can be illustrated (with a Helium and Argon filled balloon) in an accelerated fluid of uniform density (air in a glass box - aquarium). Procedure: The first video below has an upside-down aquarium tank with an ORANGE Helium-gas filled balloon. The second video below has two balloons, the ORANGE balloon filled with Helium-gas and the BLUE balloon filled with Argon-gas.   DEMO VIDEO DOWNLOAD     DEMO VIDEO DOWNLOAD   When spinning the container in a circular path (i.e.. person holds cart and spins with their legs being the axis of rotation), lighter-than-fluid objects move toward the axis of rotation along the centripetal acceleration vector, while heavier-than-fluid objects move away from the axis of rotation. This is the basis of the explanation for the behavior of a helium filled balloon in a car, which moves in the direction of the car's acceleration. References: Meiners 8-3.2 & 8-3.9, Graetzer & Williams, Am. J. Phys., 31, 302 (1963)