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What happens when you take some basic, introductory physics and apply them to cool things you see? Dot Physics happens. This blog looks at movies, experiments, demos and other topics typically aimed at the introductory physics level.
Rhett Allain is an Associate Professor of Physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He
enjoys teaching and talking about physics. Sometimes he takes things apart and can't
put them back together.
October 31, 2009
Category: physics
To explain these devices (the physics behind them), the show brought in the big guns. Let's bring in an MIT physics professor that has won a Nobel Prize. That should do it, right? Here is their animation of a centrifugal force machine
Posted by Rhett Allain at 10:23 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
October 30, 2009
Category: education
In the past couple of weeks, we have had two different publishers 'pitch' their online homework system. First, they are fine people and interesting products, but I just don't think this is going to work
Posted by Rhett Allain at 11:43 AM • 1 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
October 27, 2009
Category: physics
I think the simplest explanation is that the drinks do not spill because the string can only pull in the direction of the standing glasses. A slightly better explanation is that the string lets the tray rotate so that the sum of the acceleration and the gravitational field is in the direction of the open ending of the cup.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 8:43 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
October 24, 2009
Category: physics
I used a glass-rod to run the string through and the mass at the end of the string that swings around is a rubber test tube stopper. Finally, there is a little piece of blue tape on the string at the bottom of the glass. This tape helps me keep the length of the string constant.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 11:41 PM • 3 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
October 21, 2009
Category: physics
The object of this toy is to find the cross-sectional area of the rings. Konrad said he built this based off of a toy he was given in middle school. He wasn't told how to do it, just to do it. Maybe I shouldn't say anymore about that toy except that it is awesome. No instructions, just figure it out.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 9:04 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
October 20, 2009
Category: physics
The problem was that I was getting different launch speeds for the vertical and horizontal shot. So, here is my plan: shoot the ball and a variety of angles from 0 to 90 degrees and see how the launch speed changes.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 10:22 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
October 15, 2009
Category: education
However, this semester I started to use them in my intro physics course for science majors with just about 30 students. I didn't realize the impact they had until one day they didn't work. Here is my basic method for using them.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 10:31 PM • 9 Comments • 3 TrackBacks
October 13, 2009
Category: physics
My different methods for measuring the launch speed of the ball were not even close to being consistent. So, I am bringing out the big guns - video.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 2:34 PM • 4 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
October 12, 2009
Category: physics
I put together this short presentation on fake videos for a class. What the heck, I will also put it online so that maybe some other people can use it. So, here it is
Posted by Rhett Allain at 5:02 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
October 11, 2009
Category: physics
The MythBusters' basic approach was to put socks on their dummy (Buster) and then make him accelerate by hitting him. The idea is that for some high accelerations, his socks might come off.
Posted by Rhett Allain at 8:35 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
