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.

Choose a Topic or Enter a keyword to search:

Mechanics
Fluid Mechanics
Oscillations And Waves
Thermodynamics
Electricity And Magnetism
Optics
Modern Physics
Audio-Visual
New or Modified Entries (within the last month)

I cannot find what I want!

You have selected the following Demos:

None Selected

Choose a subtopic:
(Clicking a green button will add that demo to your list)

Measurement
Motion In One Dimension
Motion In Two Dimensions
Newton's First Law
Newton's Second Law
Newton's Third Law
Statics Of Rigid Bodies
Applications Of Newton's Laws
Gravity
Work and Energy
Momentum
Rotational Motion: Rotational Inertia Rods; video - Rolling Objects and Moments of Inertia; video - Moment of Inertia Wheel; video - The Falling Rigid Body; video - Vector Nature of Angular Momentum; Hero's engine; video - Precession of Bicycle Wheel Under Gravity Force; Suitcase Gyro; Air Gyro; Gyrocompass; Gyroscopes; Euler's Disk; Tippe Top
Properties of Matter

Rotational Inertia Rods

Purpose:

To Illustrate the dependence of an objects rotational inertia on its mass distribution.

Procedure:

Bring two students down to the front and give each of them a rod. Let them feel each rod to convince the class that each has the same mass. Have each student hold their rod in the center and try to twist it back and forth as quickly as they can. Even though the rods have the same mass, one rod has its mass concentrated equally at the ends. The student with this rod will have a much harder time twisting the rod back and forth.

Hints:

This demo works best if you get a strong hulking student and a diminutive one and give the strong student the rod with the mass distributed at the ends.