PHYSICS
DEMO 1 2 3
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FLUID
MECHANICS FLUID
DYNAMICS AERODYNAMICS |
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Soap Bubble Toy 1870 |
col scan: Patent
Soap Bubble Toy, Milton Bradley 1870 |
OBrien3.gif |
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Kubic Bubbles |
The Kubic Bubbles kit uses soap films to
demonstrate basic geometric shapes such as the tetrahedron, cube, octahedron and
triangular prism. It is a very visual educational tool suitable for middle
school onwards. It makes an excellent, low cost demonstration suitable for
science fairs. It also makes an unusually interesting gift for the young
enquiring mind. $11.20 http://www.indigo.com/science-supplies/kubic-bubbles.html Indigo Instruments Related to BUBBLES... Guy Inchibald
(paper puzzle kit maker) article: http://www.queenhill.demon.co.uk/polyhedra/wp/wp.htm
- technical article on Weaire-Phelan Bubbles - How would bubbles pack
together, to give the least possible amount of surface film between them?
This question has not been answered yet; a packing found by Weaire and Phelan
is the nearest we have come. They looked for answers to the slightly simpler
question, how would equal sized (but not necessarily identically shaped)
bubbles pack? The best answer they came up with, which might or might not be
the best possible one, was a mixture of 12- and 14-sided bubbles, with
slightly curved surfaces. ... |
kubic-bubbles.jpg |
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Soap Film
Minimal Surfaces |
MSU - Fluid
Mechanics / Surface Tension |
msu_soapfilmminimalsurfaces.jpg |
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Bernoulli Car |
MSU - Fluid
Mechanics / Dynamics of Fluids -
Wind-up car runs at constant velocity while levitating a foam ball. |
msu_bernoullicar.jpg |
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Slime |
Video
Encyclopedia : A commercial product “Slime” flows like a liquid under normal
conditions but bounces on impact. Image copyrighted by The Education Group and
used by permission. - U of Az {ASU demo} |
asu_VE15-19.jpg |
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Flipperdinger (Floating Ball) |
Floating Ball.
Arthur Good, La Science Amusante, Troisième Série; 100 Nouvelles Expériences.
Tom Tit (pseud.) (Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1906), p.51. [from Provenzo DIY
p85] “floating ball”
patented 1877 [McClary I think] |
pro_floatingball.gif |
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Water-cutter |
DIY - Henderson
p61: “made of a 3-inch piece of tin cut in the shape of a star with two holes
in it, 1 1/2 inches apart. A string is then looped through the holes and
tied. ‘If spun over a basin of water, and allowed to dip in as it spins, it
cuts through the water and sends a shower of spray from it over the operator
when it spins in one direction, and over the spectators when it spins in the
other.” |
henderson.gif |
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Pinwheel or Windmill |
White: Various
drawings of windmill toys: medieval, 16th c (253/254), 17th c Dutch with
bladder (255) |
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Whirligig |
DIY - Henderson p61,
looks like 19th c engraving - “consists of a spool with two headless nails
driven into it and placed on a spindle with another headless nail in the top.
The wings are made of cardboard, bent to catch the air and pierced to fit
over the three nails. When a string is wound onto the spool and then pulled
sharply off, the wings soar into the air like a helicopter.” |
henderson.gif |
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Helicopter |
Helicopter. L.B.
Matteson, “Flying Toy,” U.S. Patent No. 811,784. Patented February 6, 1906.
[from Provenzo DIY p163] - has woodcut of boy with helicopter toy from c1584 |
pro_helicopter.gif |
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Aero miniature flying machine, 1909 ad |
col scan: b/w
ad, Aero miniature flying machine, May 1909 Playthings - not something you’d build,
but it’s a toy and undoubtedly educational |
OBrien5.gif |
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Whistling
Balloon Helicopter |
Whistling
Balloon Helicopter - {RT}, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig1-wt.jpg turner1.jpg |
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Frisbee |
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WORK &
ENERGY |
[for now, including
mechanisms (“gizmos”) to be observed, AUTOMATA] |
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Simple early
toy mechanisms - stored energy |
(1) Excelsior
Sand Mill. Cast iron, American c1890. (2)
Thread-and-weight escapement. Tin litho, wind-up. Japanese, c1930. - compare Perpetuo
(motion) (3) Marble
escapement lets marbles drop one by one. Hand-painted tin. German, c1900. (4) Acrobats on
ladder. Hand-painted tin. European, c1910. |
spilhaus3.gif |
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Water Clock |
Water Clock - A clock that is powered by
water - strange but true! Ages 5 up, £6.95 - www.jammyjoes.com Dorset (UK) toy shop |
waterclock.jpg |
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Astrojax |
The Astrojax is a toy consisting of large
beads connected by a string. You hold one ball and bounce the other two around
in a chaotic motion. - U of Az {ASU demo} |
asu_3A95.560(01).jpg
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Hot Wheels
Track |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ Conservation of Energy / HOT WHEELS TRACK |
msu_hotwheelstrack.jpg |
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Ping Pong
Ball Gun |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ |
msu_pingpongballgun.jpg |
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Ping Pong
Ball Gun |
Pair of Vintage
K-Gun Ping-Pong Ball shooters by Kusan, from eBay, went for $25.55 1/05 |
pingpongballguns.jpg |
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Yo-Yo (Big) |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ |
msu_bigyoyo.jpg |
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Frog On A Log |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ - Push frog down until suction cup sticks to base. When suction cup releases, frog does a
backflip and lands on feet. |
msu_frogonalog.jpg |
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Rattleback |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ |
msu_rattleback.jpg |
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Dropper
Popper |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ |
msu_dropperpopper.jpg |
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Hopper Popper |
MSU - Mechanics
/ Work and Energy/ |
msu_hopperpopper.jpg |
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Hopper-Popper |
Hopper-Popper®,
- {RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm - see Poppin
Hoppers (hand made) |
tfig3-wt.jpg |
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Happy/Sad
Balls |
TW MSU - Mechanics
/ Properties of Matter |
msu_deadandliveballs.jpg |
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Happy/Sad
Balls |
High Bounce/No
Bounce Balls (happy/sad balls), - {RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics
and Toys.htm |
tfig3-wt.jpg |
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Krazy
Roll-A-Ball |
Krazy
Roll-A-Ball® - {RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and
Toys.htm |
tfig3-wt.jpg |
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pumpkin
spring-up |
pumpkin
spring-up, {RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig4-wt.jpg |
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Mother-N-Baby |
Mother-N-Baby™-
{RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig4-wt.jpg |
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Shuttle-Go-Round |
Shuttle-Go-Round,
-{RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig5-wt.jpg |
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Car Come-Back |
Car Come-Back- {RT},
Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig5-wt.jpg |
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Ka-bong Ball |
Ka-bong Ball-
{RT}, Stored energy toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig5-wt.jpg |
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Poppin
Hoppers |
Poppin Hoppers -
Half a handball is turned inside out and dropped on the floor. It bounces to
a height higher than it is dropped from seeming to defy conservation of
energy. Some of the poppin hoppers are purchased and some made from cutting a
handball in half. Turn the half ball inside out and “work” the edges a few
times. It tends to stay inside out longer this way. Purpose: To show that
energy can be stored in many ways besides potential and kinetic energy. - U
of Az {ASU demo} |
asu_1M40.91A(01).jpg
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PRESSURE |
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popgun |
popgun, - {RT},
Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig6-wt.jpg |
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dart gun |
dart gun, -
{RT}, Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig6-wt.jpg |
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Mystery Blow Pipe |
Mystery Blow
Pipe™, - {RT}, Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig6-wt.jpg |
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The Hang Up |
The Hang Up -
{RT}, Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig6-wt.jpg |
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Cartesian
diver |
Cartesian diver,
- {RT}, Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm Everything you wanted to know about the Cartesian Diver |
tfig7-wt.jpg |
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Happy
Bird Drinking Duck |
TW Happy Bird, -
{RT}, Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm White p. 171:
Known as “Hilly Billy” drinking ducks in UK, made by Magnatex. |
tfig7-wt.jpg |
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Magic Love
Meter |
Magic Love Meter
- {RT}, Pressure toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig7-wt.jpg |
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MOTION |
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Pintins
automatiques |
White, p170 -
pair of connected figures described by Tissandier - descend stairs like a
slinky. Probably had mercury in the connecting arms |
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Slinky Slinky
Jr. |
TW MSU - Oscillations
and Waves / Wave Motion - {MSU demo} http://www.teachingtools.com/Slinky/slinky.html
- on ConocoPhillips site - [more
info: activities, centrifugal force, etc.] This teaching guide
is designed to complement the 20-minute video, Slinky® Science. Click here to request the video. Please note that video supplies are
limited and may no longer be available. Richard James, a
mechanical engineer, was employed by Philadelphia’s Cramp Shipyard in 1943
when he accidentally invented the Slinky®. At the time, he was trying to
develop a spring to keep ship instruments steady at sea. As James tested
hundreds of springs of varying sizes, metals, and tensions, he piled the
discards onto his desk. One day, an experimental torsion spring fell off the
desk and “walked” down a pile of books, tumbling end over end onto the floor.
James was
intrigued with the steel spring’s antics and took it home for his children.
Soon all the kids in the neighborhood wanted one too. His invention hadn’t
worked as an anti-vibration device for ships, so he decided to turn it into a
toy. In 1945, the
first Slinky was demonstrated at Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia.
Within 90 minutes after the toy’s performance, all 400 Slinkys on hand were
sold. James designed
and engineered machines to transform 80 feet of wire into a two-and
one-half-inch stack of 98 coils, and he and his wife, Betty, co-founded James
Industries. Today the company continues to operate in Hollidaysburg, Pa.,
manufacturing some 3 million to 4 million Slinkys annually. Mrs. James, who
came up with the name “Slinky” has been chief executive officer since 1960. The first
Slinkys were manufactured from an expensive, dark steel from Sweden. It
wasn’t long though before the Jameses switched to a more silver-looking
steel; then in the ‘60s, a coating gave the spring an even more silvery
appearance. Since late 1978, the Slinky also is made of the plastic, K-Resin®
styrene-butadiene copolymer from Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. “We decided to
make Slinkys in plastic,” explained Mrs. James, “because younger children
tangled the metal ones too easily and had trouble holding onto them. With
plastic, we can manufacture a larger diameter Slinky which is easier for
small hands to manage, and we can produce it in bright colors that really
appeal to children.” == http://home.messiah.edu/~barrett/slinky/home.htm
- The Slinky - the physics lab in box http://home.messiah.edu/~barrett/slinky/history.htm
- history [more: physics
experiments, centripetal force, etc.] == http://www.tpt.org/newtons/9/slink.html
- Newton’s Apple, Show Number 908: SLINKY PHYSICS - How Do Toys Work? single page, has
activities |
msu_slinkyonthetable.jpg |
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Descending
airplane |
Airplane descending
helical wire. Tin, wood, and wire with celluloid propeller. German, circa
1910. - Spilhaus p90 |
spilhaus1.gif |
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Pecking Bird |
Pecking Bird - A
toy bird slides down a rod giving up energy to friction and pecking. - U of
Az - see FOLK TOYS - {ASU demo} |
asu_1M30.30(03).jpg
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Perpetuo |
TW |
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Wobblers |
TW - see scholarly papers - DIY made from
two beer mats, Rig-a-Jig, even a plastic soda bottle (the kind with bumps on the
base) “walking” down the surface of a car hood |
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Climbatron, Vertibug, Astronaut Scout Wall Walking
Robots |
http://www.iit.edu/~smile/weekly/mp092402.html High School
Mathematics Physics SMILE Meeting - 24 September 2002 [Google “physics-toy”
1/15/05] Bill Blunk
(Joliet Central HS, Physics) Slow Motion Climbatron [saved climbatron.jpg from www.spacetoys.com $10.95, also Stinger Climbatron
and Astronaut Scout Wall Walking Robots, $14.95 from Benjamin Toys ltd.I
think; vertibug.jpg Climbatron VertiBug Suction Walker from www.partsupply.in.th ] |
climbatron.jpg vertibug.jpg |
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balloon racer |
balloon racer, -
{RT}, Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig8-wt.jpg |
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water rocket |
water rocket, -
{RT}, Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig8-wt.jpg |
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Rat Fink™
Hydro Racer |
Rat Fink™
Hydro Racer™- {RT}, Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig8-wt.jpg |
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Radical
Blocks |
Radical Blocks™
- {RT}, Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig8-wt.jpg |
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Christmas
tree spinner |
Christmas tree
spinner, - {RT}, Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig9-wt.jpg |
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humdinger |
humdinger, - {RT},
Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig9-wt.jpg |
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ribbon
spinner |
ribbon spinner -
{RT}, Motion toys, saved w/ Physics and Toys.htm |
tfig9-wt.jpg |
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Radiometer - Crooke’s |
Crooke’s
radiometer - U of Az {ASU demo} The radiometer
is something that ought to work in one way according to theory but actually
works in another way in practice, in a sense defying the established science,
but which can be explained quite easily. I only mention it as a curiosity. If
you want to know more about it visit the homepage : http://lecture.lite.msu.edu/~mmp/kap24/Radiometer.htm == http://www.weburbia.demon.co.uk/physics/light-mill.html
- How does a light-mill work? Light-mill = Crookes’ radiometer.
UK page, part of Usenet Physics FAQ |
asu_VE14-23.jpg |
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Wilberforce pendulum |
If the rotational
inertia and the mass are adjusted just so, you can see energy transfer
between two modes of oscillation (longitudinal and torsional). It's a wonderful, thought-provoking
physics toy. |
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Double Cone |
http://www.marcdatabase.com/~lemur/rb-perpetual.html
The Rolling Ball Web An Online Compendium of Rolling Ball Sculptures, Clocks,
Etc. By David M. MacMillan et. al. [Google
“physics-toy” 1/15/05] 1829 Conical Railway
On page 164,
Ord-Hume reproduces an engraving from The Mechanic’s Magazine, London, 1829
which shows a perpetual motion railway. This proposed railway consisted of an
undulating track. The car was suspended betwen the rails of this track on two
large conical wheels. It is difficult to reconstruct the operation of this
railway from the engraving and Ord-Hume’s description. It appears from
Ord-Hume’s description that as the rails descend, they are parallel, and as
they ascend, they narrow. This seems, to me, to be backwards. In the
engraving, however, the rails appear parallel. This railway
seems to be similar to the physics toy in which a double-cone appears
to ascend up a widening, ascending set of rails. At all times, however, the
actual center of gravity of the double-cone is descending. There is a variant of this toy in
current production which uses a ball rather than a double cone, in
which it is the goal of the player to adjust the angles of two rails in order
to move the ball as far as possible “uphill.” |
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Double Cone |
Double cone on an inclined plane. The
double cone has its center of mass roll down hill but seems to go uphill. ASU
copyright - U of Az {ASU demo} |
asu_1J11.50A(01).jpg
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SOUND &
LIGHT |
see
Perception/Sound, Sight |
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Home Descriptions/compilation
©2005 Tim Walker. Direct quotations and images cited under fair use remain the
property of original copyright holders.