Author Archives: Arbor Scientific

Paul Falstad's popular ripple tank simulation is now available for your iPhone/iPad and it's free. Now make virtual waves with your finger!

Check out the app here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ripple-tank-free/id453342553?ls=1&mt=8

For non iPhone/iPad owners the ripple tank java applet is also available here:

http://www.falstad.com/ripple/

 

 

 

In the late 1700s, Italian scientist Luigi Galvani stumbled across one of the most important discoveries of all time. He found that frog legs would contract when some of the muscles and nerves were connected – even when the frog was dead! Galvani attributed this phenomenon to the idea that animal and human brains produce [...]

Here is an article we thought was too good not to share. Mitir Krioukov, physicist based at the University of California San Diego, recently pleaded his way out of a fine for rolling through a stop sign by using the power of mathematics.
Read the article on physicscentral.com to see how he used physics to show the [...]

We will be at NSTA 2012 in Indianapolis, IN March 29th - 31st. Stop by and see us at Booth # 1347 or see our Cool Tools at the following workshops by Buzz Putnam: Cool Tools for Light, Color, Sound and Waves and Cool Tools for Force and Motion.

In this lab, students will learn to estimate the speed of an object by applying conservation of momentum to an inelastic collision. Energy is not lost its transferred from one object to another. Students will fire a dart into the back of the free rolling car and measure the distance of the car, calculate the speed of the dart and car, and measure the mass of the car and dart.

Over the holiday break, Arbor Scientific will be quietly launching our new website!  If you happened to drop by and are reading this note, then you caught us!  We thought it was best to take the new website for test drive during the holidays when things are a little more quiet.  So we aren't spreading [...]

Arbor Scientific has officially launched a new blog!  The blog is less formal than our official CoolStuff Newsletter, but it will be filled with ideas and perspectives from teachers just like yourself.  Stay tuned for more information on this exciting new development in the new year!

You may have tried the can crushing pressure demo, you may have even tried it with a 55 gallon drum, but have you tried an entire tanker truck? In the December CoolStuff Newsletter...

Bottle rocket launchers can be a great way to increase interest as your class kicks off this Fall. We’ve collected some tips for how to get more out of these rocket powered demonstrations and launch your students into the world of force and motion in full Cool Stuff fashion.

Hold a friendly contest to engage interest [...]

Every once in a while we come across something that has the chance to make a real difference in the classroom in both engaging the students and making your life as a professor a little easier. We think this may be one of those times. Ripple tanks are such a wonderful way to teach your [...]