Physics at Home Features

PhET Simulation: Fourier: Making Waves

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Learn about many aspects of the physics of sound with these fun activities: -- Download PhET Simulation: Fourier: Making Waves to learn how the mathematics of waves determine what you hear. -- Build your own speaker out of a soda bottle at Soda Bottle Speaker. (Have an adult help you with the hot glue.) -- Explore sound using just a rubber band at Echo in my Head. -- For even more ideas, check out The Soundry. Their Interactive Sound Lab contains many more applets to explore the physics of sound.

PhET Simulation: Nuclear Fission

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Explore nuclear fission through this set of simulations. You can create a chain reaction of uranium isotopes by setting the initial amount of uranium and the position of control rods within a reactor.

X-Ray Spectra Activity

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

Working with x-rays at home would be dangerous, so this activity from the Exploratorium provides a safer simulation. You can see the effect of x-rays using only household items.

How to Build a Spectroscope

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

Learn how to build your own spectroscope using household items at How to Build a Spectroscope. If you don’t have a diffraction grating or rainbow glasses at home, you might try to build a spectroscope with a cereal box and a CD instead.

Mysterious Coffee

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Next time you open a bag of vacuum-packed coffee, pay careful attention to how the coffee behaves when you squeeze the bag. This article from NASA illustrates why coffee is so mysterious and why NASA is interested.

Electroscope

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Build your own electroscope, a device that detects electric charge. All you need is modeling clay and a few items from around the house!

Penrose Tiles

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Create your own non-periodic tiling with this Penrose Tiles applet from Grand Valley State University.

Exploratour - Volcanoes of the Solar System

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Take a tour of the volcanoes in the solar system, starting from Earth and visiting Mars, the moon, Io, and more.

Spinning Brains

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Try experiencing the Coriolis effect next time you ride on a merry-go-round, just like in this video from the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana. - Read more about the video and also about humans in rotating systems at Spinning Brains, an article from NASA. - If you don’t have a merry-go-round nearby, you can still see the Coriolis effect through this simulation. - Watch animations demonstrating the Coriolis effect. - For more, visit Bad Coriolis, from Pennsylvania State University.

Why is the Sky Blue?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Perform a scattering experiment on your own to learn why the sky is blue during the day but reddish at sunset.

A Pulsar Discovery

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

Listen to the audio recorded during the discovery of optical pulsars in this American Institute of Physics historical exhibit. The exhibit also features interviews with the discoverers, John Cocke and Michael Disney, as well as commentary from MIT professor Phillip Morrison.

PhET Simulation: The Greenhouse Effect

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

Check out this PhET simulation of Earth's energy balance.

Nanotubes and Other Forms of Carbon

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:00 EST

Check out Nanotubes and Other Forms of Carbon from the University of Wisconsin; the videos there show the forms of carbon: graphite, graphene, diamond, fullerene, and nanotube. For each of these forms, you'll see a model that shows how the carbon atoms fit together.

Physlet Simulations for First-Semester Physics

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 EST

When a force is applied for particular length of time, it's useful to think about impulse, the product of the force and the time it is applied. Impulse helps show how airbags and ion propulsion work. -- Check out the Physlets simulation Physlet Simulations for First-Semester Physics (it's the first one listed under "Momentum").

Visual Courseware: Earthquake

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

Check out the tutorials in Visual Courseware: Earthquake, from Earth and Environmental Sciences, to find out how to measure earthquake magnitudes and how to find an earthquake's epicenter. See Worth a Look for background information.

Exploratorium: Bubbularium

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

See Exploratorium: Bubbularium to use everyday materials to investigate the colors in soap films.

Making a Sun Clock

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit the Exploratorium's Making a Sun Clock to find out how to build a sun clock, and how it works.

How To Demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

For an example of action reaction forces, see the video How To Demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion.

Have You Seen the Zodiacal Light?

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

To learn about observing the zodiacal light, and see another photograph of it, visit Have You Seen the Zodiacal Light?.

CoolStuff Newsletter: Polarization

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit CoolStuff Newsletter: Polarization to learn more about polarization and birefringence, and for related activities.

The Photoelectric Effect

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

Check out the PhET simulation The Photoelectric Effect from the University of Colorado to learn about the photon, and the photoelectric effect in particular. For more, visit The Photoelectric Effect, from Physics 2000.

Growing Rock Candy

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

Try the activity in Growing Rock Candy to make sugar crystals in your kitchen. To find out about growing salt crystals, and see artistic crystal photographs, visit the Exploratorium's Salt Piece.

Build a Solar System

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

Here are two ways you can make a model of the solar system. -- Build a Solar System from the Exploratorium, includes a calculator to help you select the sizes of your models. -- And if you have enough space, The Thousand Yard Model, from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, gives you all the dimensions and sizes you'll need.

Large Hadron Rap

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

Visit Large Hadron Rap to hear and see the Large Hadron Rap, written by Kate MacAlpine, press officer at CERN.

Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST

Try this Visual Quantum Mechanics simulation of a fluorescent light to explore the relationships among energy levels, excitation energy, and emitted light. On another subject, watch for the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on November 30-December 1, 2008.