<![CDATA[Labs, Activities, and Other CoolStuff]]> Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:26:19 +0000 en hourly 1 <![CDATA[Energy is Energy is Energy...]]> Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:24:13 +0000 Think back to when you were a little kid playing one of your most enjoyable family games on Saturday night. It involved rolling a die and moving around a game board, all while building a complex “mousetrap”, hoping that you wouldn't get caught in its devious shenanigans or secretly wishing that its numerous “Energy Transfers” would fail to work!

 

Rube Goldberg was one of the pioneers of the energy conversion "machine", albeit his ideas were a bit eccentric and downright kooky. Yet the public was fascinated by the possibilities of creating a machine that would actually perform a useful function by flipping a lever or pulling a string, thereby triggering a string of mechanical energy transformations that were compelling to watch at the very least.

 

In fact, the Honda Corporation used the idea of Energy transfer and conversion to promote their product to a new level; the actual parts of a Honda vehicle set up in a series of Rube Goldberg-like energy processes that ultimately showcased their newest model car. The video is real. It took 606 takes for it to work perfectly. For the first 605 tries some little thing didn't work or move the way it was supposed to.

 

 

If you are wondering how the tires in the ad are rolling up the slope at 20 degrees, they're weighted, with the weight positioned in the tire to be balanced at rest but when knocked, the weights naturally "fall" downward, therefore forcing the wheel forward. As the law of Conservation of Energy states, energy is lost with each knock as you can see when the last tire just barely makes it to the next link in the chain.

 

Arbor Energy Demonstration tools

Drinking Bird

Drinking Bird

Product # P3-5001

$5.75

The Drinking Bird is a science toy which repeatedly dips its beak into a glass of water. This is not perpetual motion, but a type of heat engine, exploiting the difference in temperature between the air and the water it dips into. Methylene Chloride makes a Drinking (Dipping) Bird work because it evaporates very easily (boiling point at approximately 100°F). Interestingly, Methylene Chloride is an industrial paint stripper and used widely in food processes to decaffeinate coffee! Giant versions of these toys have been proposed by scientists in desert climates, potentially used to generate tiny amounts of electricity. In principle, huge Drinking Birds could be constructed, but unfortunately at a prohibitively high cost per kilowatt at the present time.  Even though they are impractical, giant Dipping Bird Farms sure would be a sight to behold!

Energy Conversion Car Kit

Energy Conversion Car Kit

Product # P3-4000

$15.00

Energy Conversion Car Kit Meanwhile back in reality and your classroom, demonstrate to your students some of the easier ways to convert different forms of energy into powering a car or other science toys. Using this simple, but cost effective kit will allow students to investigate the Law of Conservation of Energy! The Law of Conservation of Energy holds that energy cannot be created or destroyed but only converted from one form to another. This kit allows students to investigate this important conversion principle. Students can use the hand power generator to convert kinetic mechanical energy to electrical and use electrical energy to convert into sound, light, and motion using the interchangeable modules.

Alternative Energy Conversion Kit

Alternative Energy Conversion Kit

Product # P6-2080

$69.00

The Alternative Energy Conversion Kit allows students to investigate energy conversions. Improving the use of these forms and resources will reduce fuel costs, reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources and reduce harm to the environment. Students can question which generator of electricity works best in multiple situations.

Reversible Thermoelectric Demonstrator

Reversible Thermoelectric Demonstrator

Product # P6-2700

$39.00

Reversible Thermoelectric Demonstrator brings the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics to life using it as a refrigerator or a heat engine. Immerse the two aluminum legs in baths of different temperatures, and produce electrical energy that turns the turbine! Unplug the banana jacks and measure the voltage output with a multimeter.  Connect a battery or DC power source to the two jacks. One leg will heat up while the other cools down. Measure the efficiency of this device and compare it to the Carnot Efficiency. Show energy conversions in action!

 

A great source for Energy-Related Science and Technology Links for you or your students can be found at:
http://www.borderschess.org/energy.htm

 

]]> <![CDATA[Momentum - Tailgated by a Dart]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:53:35 +0000 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.


Download Teacher Notes and Student Worksheets.

Required Equipment

Tailgated by a Dart Kit, stopwatch, meterstick, balance

Tailgated by a Dart Kit

Tailgated by a Dart Kit

Product # PX-9501

$8.50

Meter Stick 6/pk

Meter Stick 6/pk

Product # P1-7072

$15.95

Economy Digital Balance

Economy Digital Balance

Product # 02-7000

$99.00

]]> <![CDATA[Get Positive with your Charge!]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:45:05 +0000 I have found that over the years, creating a Positive charge in class using the conventional Glass rod/Silk combination just doesn't produce a great enough charge to be able to demonstrate Conduction or Induction on pith balls, electroscope and other objects. The BEST way to produce a Positive charge is using the "Fun Fly Stick"! I used the Fun Fly Stick today in class and it creates plenty of Positive charge, blowing away the supposed tried-and-true silk glass rod we all have used for years. Have your students test the Fun Fly Stick to see if they can determine the actual charge it produces. Its really simple... Just charge a pith ball positive and then hold the Fun Fly Stick near the pith ball. Since the only real way to prove the charge on an object is repulsion, the pith ball will repel! Very cool!
Buzz Putnam, Physics teacher @ Whitesboro High School, NY

]]> <![CDATA[The Faraday Motor CoolStuff Newsletter]]> Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:24:26 +0000 I constructed the do-it-yourself Faraday Motor with my students as a demonstration, just as the video instructs Their reaction was amazing! When linking the concepts of Electricity with Magnetism, I normally use pre-made motors and other conventional equipment that has been purchased or donated over the years. When I decided to create the "original" Faraday Motor for the class, it definitely brought out the students' curiosity and peaked their interest... it is difficult to get that "WOW Factor" these days given YouTube and the InterNet, but this did it! It is well worth making with the students as you teach the concepts of electromotive forces and the Magnetism Hand Rules. When you construct the Faraday Motor, be careful to secure the straw to the top of the bottle; I found that "Duct Tape" works even better to secure the straw. See Build a Faraday Motor with Your Students!

Buzz Putnam, Physics & Nanotechnology Teacher, Whitesboro, NY

]]> <![CDATA[Build a Faraday Motor with Your Students!]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:51:32 +0000 Demonstrate Magnetic Fields, Electric Current, and Basic Principles of the Motor.

In 1820, Danish physicist/chemist Hans Christian Ørsted (Oersted) noticed that when current from his Voltaic pile was switched on and off, a compass needle placed near the wire deflected from true magnetic north. Within a few months of careful study, he deduced that a magnetic field circles a current-bearing wire.

You can learn more about this discovery. See magnet.fsu.edu...

It was not long before scientists and inventors found practical applications of this discovery. In 1821, English physicist/chemist Michael Faraday made brilliant use of two fundamental principles: 1) magnetic fields circle current-bearing wire, and 2) magnetic fields interact with other magnetic fields. He found that the magnetic fields around a permanent magnet and a current-bearing wire could be made to interact and cause motion. This was essentially the first electric motor, and modern motors still operate on this same principle.

Faraday used wire, a battery, a permanent magnet, and a dish of mercury to make his first motor. When current flowed through his circuit, the magnetic field induced around the wire that hung free in the mercury interacted with the magnetic field around a permanent magnet placed within the mercury. This interaction caused the free wire to rotate around the permanent magnetic whenever current flowed through the circuit. You can view a simulation of this early motor at magnet.fsu.edu.

It is fairly simple to construct a working motor similar to Faraday’s original motor that will amaze your students. Due to safety concerns, salt water is substituted for mercury.

Materials: plastic 2L bottles, connecting wires, modern Voltaic pile (i.e., 9V battery), neodymium magnets, salt water, tape, modeling clay, stiff copper wire, aluminum foil, 2 small paper clips, plastic straw, switch (optional)

Construction: Cut one 2L bottle approximately 4 in tall. Place some modeling clay in the bottom of the bottle. Place a stack of neodymium magnets in the tub. Standard steel bar magnets are likely not strong enough. Fill with salt water. Tape the straw to the top of the second 2L bottle. Place stiff copper wire through the straw and attach the paper clips to a hook bent on the end of the wire. The paper clips will serve as a swivel and allow free movement of the hanging stiff cooper wire around the stack of magnets. Connect the other end of the top wire to one terminal of the 9V battery. Connect the other terminal of the 9V battery to the switch. Connect the switch to a folded over piece of aluminum foil. Place the other end of the aluminum foil in the salt water. Connect the other stiff copper wire to the swivel so that it rests in the salt water near the magnet stack. Close the switch and observe the copper wire. Reverse the battery terminals and notice any change in the motion. Turn the stack of magnets over and notice any change in the motion.

faraday motor

Note: Thank you to Dr. Joel Bryan of Ball State University in Muncie, IN for authoring this article and video.

Build your own Motor!

Listed below are the items we sell that will help you construct your motor. In addition to these items you will need 2 plastic 2L bottles, salt water, tape, aluminum foil, 2 small paper clips, and a plastic straw.

Homopolar Motor Kit

Homopolar Motor Kit

Product # P8-8350

$19.00


Includes 10 1/8" thick Neodymium magnets that are ideal for building your Faraday motor and includes copper wire too!

Alligator Leads (Pack of 10)

Alligator Leads (Pack of 10)

Product # P4-3000

$4.00


Pack of 10 Alligator Leads contains 5 red and 5 black leads. You will need 3 of these to complete your circuit.

9 Volt Battery

9 Volt Battery

Product # AR-1000

$1.75


Modern Voltaic pile i.e., Long Lasting 9 volt battery for all your Faraday motor needs.

Knife Switch, Single Pole, Single Throw

Knife Switch, Single Pole, Single Throw

Product # P6-7105

$1.95


Single pole single throw knife switch mounted on a bakelite base with screw holes for mounting

Modeling Clay

Modeling Clay

Product # PX-2059

$3.50


This clay makes a great base for the Neodymium magnets and includes enough for multiple motors. Comes in a box of 4 different intense colors (red blue green yellow).

Pair of Neodymium Magnets

Pair of Neodymium Magnets

Product # P8-1123

$16.00


This neodymium-iron-boron magnet is, for its size, the most powerful magnet on earth!

]]> http://www.arborsci.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-06-at-3.17.55-PM-150x150.png <![CDATA[Build a Faraday Motor with Your Students!]]> <![CDATA[The Boyle, Charles and Cans CoolStuff Newsletter]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:37:49 +0000 In the December CoolStuff newsletter, Bridgette Sparks of Saline High School in Michigan talks about using a discovery based lab exercise for the topic of pressure.
In my classroom I ask the students to calculate the net force on the can by giving them the dimensions of the can and an estimate of the reduced pressure in the can. For example if the pressure inside reduces to 8.0 PSI after the water vapor condenses a differential of 7 PSI produced the force that crushed the can. When the student multiplies this pressure difference by the number of square inches they have calculated the net force.

]]> <![CDATA[New Website!]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:35:40 +0000 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 the word about this exciting new development, not quite yet.  But look for new information and the official announcement in the new year!

]]> <![CDATA[New Arbor Scientific Blog!]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:30:11 +0000 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!

]]> <![CDATA[Boyle, Charles and Cans... Oh, How I love the pressure!]]> Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:49:28 +0000 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, Bridgette Sparks of Saline High School in Michigan talks about the high pressure environment she has created in her classroom!  Well, at least with the subject matter!

I, too, start my gas unit by having the class participate in a discovery based lab exercise very similar to the “Gas Laws Smorgasboard” mentioned in a previous Cool Stuff newsletter. Towards the end of class, I start playing David Bowie’s Under Pressure or Billy Joel’s Pressure since most of the lab stations are explained using pressure differences. When the students enter the classroom the next day we discuss pressure differences by observing the can crusher demo as a whole class. This time I use a larger paint thinner can and have the class explain using scientific principles. This is followed up with the next two questions and videos:

The air pressure is significant but could we do the same thing with a 50 gallon drum?

Or, how about a tanker car?

About Magdeburg hemispheres


The Magdeburg hemispheres are another cool example of how atmospheric pressure can have a significant effect on Earth. Invented by German scientist and mayor of Maddeburg, Otto Von Guericke in 1656 to demonstrate the concept of atmospheric pressure. By sealing a pair of large copper hemispheres with grease and the air pumped out, the sphere contained a vacuum and could not be pulled apart by a team of thirty horses until the valve was opened to release the vacuum.

The force holding the hemispheres together is equal to ~9000 lbs, equivalent to lifting a car.

Re-enactments of Von Guericke's 1656 experiment are performed in locations around the world by the Otto von Guericke Society. The experiment has also been commemorated on two German stamps.

After learning about Guericke's pump, Scientist Robert Boyle, working with Robert Hooke in designing and building an improved air pump. From this, they formulated what is called Boyle’s Law, which states that the volume of a body of an ideal gas is inversely proportional to its pressure.

A very big thank you to our contributors for this article:

Bridgette Sparks,
Chemistry Teacher
Saline High School
Saline, Michigan

Dwight "Buzz" Putnam,
Physics Teacher
Whitesboro High School
New York

Other Chemistry related products:

Inertia Apparatus

Periodic Table Magnetic Cards

This magnetized set of cards provides in-depth information on each of the first 20 elements, as well as Hydride (H-), 14 additional elements (4 H, 3 O, 2 CL, 1F, 2 Na, 2 K), 3Mg Isotopes, and Au & Pb. Designed to stick to the black or white board!
Learn More

Pressure Globe

Vacuum Pumper Classroom Set

This affordable set of hand vacuum pumps and specially designed chambers that have a wide mouths let students test the effects of reduced pressure on many different objects, such as marshmallows. Classroom set includes 6 Vacuum Chambers and Pumpers, 6 Temperature Strips and teachers data sheet and student activity sheet.

Learn More

Atmospheric Mat

Cartesian Diver Kit

Air has weight, exerts pressure, and can be squeezed and compressed. The Cartesian Diver demonstrates all three properties using hands-on experiments. Make 30 plain divers with this kit.

Learn More

Atmospheric Mat

Gas Laws Demo w/ Temperature

Quantitatively confirm the Combined Gas Law with one complete apparatus! Students can verify this relationship using air and this unique apparatus.

Learn More

Original Gyro

Yenka Chemistry Software

The science simulation software platform from the makers of Crocodile Chemistry. Yenka gives you the tools you need in your classroom including both the Electro Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry modules

Learn More

 

]]> http://www.arborsci.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-19-at-8.50.40-AM-150x150.png <![CDATA[Boyle, Charles and Cans... Oh, How I love the pressure!]]> <![CDATA[Vortex Rings in nature and your physics classroom!]]> Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:45:29 +0000 You’ve probably seen a smoker blow smoke rings or you’ve created whirlpools in your tub or pool when you were little. These phenomena are known as Vortices, formed when a fluid swirls around a central point because of a complex combination of friction and pressure. These Vortex Rings are more common and widespread in nature than most people had probably thought; in fact they are studied in great detail by aeronautical engineers and combustion scientists. But we just think they are cool! Take a look at the video and then read below as Physics Teacher Buzz Putnam of Whitesboro High School provides more commentary on these amazing natural occurrences:

The video illustrates Vortex Rings being formed by various sources including dolphins and volcanoes. You’ll notice in the video that the Vortex Rings are quite stable until they slow down and then at some critical speed, the core enlarges very suddenly causing the vortex to breakdown. Dolphins make, watch and chase them, even using their flippers to stop them rising in what appear to be games similar to those we humans play with soap bubbles. Watch Mt. Etna emit gigantic ring-shaped clouds of steam and gas up to 200 m in diameter that can fly up to 1000 m high, lasting more than 10 minutes. Your students will realize that humans aren’t the only ones who love to make and watch Vortex Rings, one of the coolest phenomena in nature!

Physics Teacher Magazine thinks it cool too!

The November 2011 cover for Physics Magazine shows the steam ring expelled by Etna’s summit crater.
View Physics Teacher Article>>

 

If you want to bring the vortex ring right into your classroom, you can do so with a smoke ring cannon and a fog machine (or fog in a can). Here is our smoke ring cannon in action:

Resources:

 

Do more with vortex rings right in your classroom, check out these great links:

BBC News article: Etna hoops it up

The Physics Teacher – Smoke Ring Physics vol. 49, November 2011 pg 488.

Vortex Rings lab from Cornell University in PDF

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Dwight "Buzz" Putnam for his assistance in writing this Cool Stuff. Buzz is a 25 year veteran physics teacher at Whitesboro High School, New York Science Teacher of the Year and host of the Regents Physics Answers television show on PBS. You can also find him refereeing high school basketball games as well as presenting at the NSTA national conferences.

Products:

Smoke Ring Cannon

Smoke Ring Cannon

The Smoke Ring Cannon shoots big, beautiful, stable smoke rings across the largest room. Its 45 gallon volume hold enough smoke for dozens of shots.
Learn More >>

 
 
 
 

Air Cannon

Airzooka Air Cannon

This amazing new vortex launcher sends a strong blast of air all the way across the room!

Learn More >>

 
 
 
 

Super Fog

Super Fog Machine

A lab full of safe, non-toxic water-based fog in 2 minutes!
Learn More >>
 
 
 
 
 

Air Powered Projectile

 

Fog in a Can

Makes chemical fog quick and easy. Non-flammable and non-toxic. 8 oz. spray can.
Learn More >>

 
 
 
 

]]> http://www.arborsci.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2012-01-18-at-3.24.10-PM-150x150.png <![CDATA[Vortex Rings in nature and your physics classroom!]]>