Make a simple spectroscope and learn how scientists identify the elements in the stars! Or build your own electric motor! These activities and more are simple and inexpensive ways to get your students engaged in science. Each exercise comes with complete instructions including what to buy, and how to conduct each simple experiment or activity in your own classroom.
Easy-to-make models of an electric motor, home-made spectroscope using an old CD, perform Galileo's famous acceleration experiment, get refraction index using a low-cost laser pointer, and more...
It really spins around! - Simple models of electric motor
Maria DobkowskaZespół Szkół Integracyjnych nr 62
im. Raoula Wallenberga
Warsaw, Poland
Arvind Gupta Ariel Majcher The Andrzej Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies
Otwock - Świerk, Poland
Grzegorz F. WojewodaZespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących nr 4
Bydgoszcz, Poland
Easy-to-make models of an electric motor have been shown at the international festivals Physics on Stage and Science on Stage, visited by teachers and popularizers of physics and other natural sciences. We wish to describe here slightly modified models of an electric motor, which can make physics lessons far more interesting. The models can be easily made by each pupil of the middle school (gymnasium), whereas in high school the models can encourage pupils to further analysis of acting forces.
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| It really spins around! Simple models of electric motors |
Instruction (pdf)
Movie - motor, the first versionRead more: It really spins around! - Simple models of electric motor
Observations of various spectra with a home-made spectroscope
Maite LacarraUniversité Pierre et Marie Curie
Paris, France
Ariel Majcher Center for Theoretical Physics, PAS
Warsaw, Poland
Have you already got your own spectroscope? If not, build a spectroscope following the instruction from here and point it at different sources of light. You will see that not every source of light shines in the same way. A spectroscope decomposes light that comes to you into components in a form of spectrum with use of diffraction grating. Two examples of such spectrum can be seen below:
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We suggest here three exercises consisting in examining spectra of different sources of light, which can be done with use of your spectroscope. To do the exercise you will need a sheet of paper and something to write with, in order to put down the results of your observations. The spectra can also be photographed, but for the purpose of this exercise, a sheet of paper, a pen and possibly coloured felt-tips shall be just fine.
- 1. Observation of spectra of different sources of light and comparison of observation results with provided examples. This allows to identify different types of light bulbs - classical, energy-saving, fluorescent lamp.
- 2. Identification of the observed spectrum lines in emission spectra.
- 3. Observation of a yellow spectrum line of sodium.
- 4. Observation and identification of absorption lines in a spectrum of sunlight.
| Spectra around us |
Read more: Observations of various spectra with a home-made spectroscope
Determination of the index of refraction using a laser pointer
Determination of the index of refraction using a laser pointer
Grzegorz F. WojewodaThe advent of low-cost lasers, like laser-pointers or laser-levels, allows us to experimentally verify in classrooms values of refractive indices quoted in textbooks! We have prepared 2 exercises in which students can measure a value of a refractive index by themselves with use of a diffraction grating and a polarizer.
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| Measuring index of refraction |
Read more: Determination of the index of refraction using a laser pointer
A home-made spectroscope
Angela TurricchiaLaboratorio per la Didattica Aula Planetario
Comune di Bologna, Włochy
Ariel Majcher Center for Theoretical Physics, PAS
Warsaw, Poland
A home-made spectroscope helps to realize that different sources of light do not shine in the same way.
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| Home-made spectroscope |
Google Maps or how to find a satellite image of the place I live!!!
The interactive portal Google Maps is just for that!!! Have yourself a look at new, updated satellite images !!!
Click to see a satellite image and a map of the Wawel Hill with Cathedral and Royal Castle in Cracow, Poland.
This instruction has been kindly provided by G. Myrda -Geostrada.com .
Translated by Malgorzata Czart .
Read more: Google Maps or how to find a satellite image of the place I live!!!
Simple model of a generator
Build a simple generator using easily available material
Bydgoszcz
Very often students have difficulty with understanding the phenomena associated with electro-magnetic induction. At the same time current flowing in home power supply network system is inductive current. In order to help students better understand the physical basis of operation of generators in power plants, I propose building a simple generator model with spinning magnet.
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Material needed for the experiment |
The completed generator |
Google Earth or how to find a map of your place on line !!!
Check, how you can use Google Earth , a free software which allows you to find a map or a satellite photo of any place on Earth. With Google Earth you can plan an excursion, a pathfinder game, or a trip for vacations...or just browse around Our Planet.
The instruction has been kindly provided by G. Myrda from Geostrada.com.
Translated by Malgorzata Czart.
Read more: Google Earth or how to find a map of your place on line !!!
How to build a magnetic torch
How to build your own flashing flash-light
Center for Theoretical Physics, PAS
Warsaw, Poland
Faraday's Law? "Oh...", "The relationship between change in magnetic flux linking...", "A student should be acquainted with CONTENTS of a definition ...".
We shall present the concept of how to reconcile program requirements with the effective teaching of an age-old students’ nightmare - one of Maxwell's laws.
As usual, this principle can be illustrated by a simple and effective experiment. This time, we shall show how to build your own flashing flash-light alias bicycle dynamo.
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Free Fall
Following the steps of Galileo, perform his famous Acceleration Experiment and measure the value of the Earth's gravitational acceleration
Click on an icon to download presentation and movie..
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| Tomasz Skowron XII High School Szczecin, Poland |
Janusz Cichor 3rd Gymnasium Augustów, Poland |
Enjoyed your successful experiment? Send us euhoupl@euhou.net a description of your setup and .avi file. We will publish the most interesting contributions!
Refraction, or "bent" light !
Krzysztof PawłowskiCenter for Theoretical Physics PAS
Is it possible to demonstrate reflection and refraction of light on lessons of physics in a more interesting way? Does a lesson on basic properties of light have to be a boring reasoning on a board, remembered by students only until the first test? We present here a highly spectacular and non-intuitive experiment, which allows to measure Snell's laws, explains why we can see setting Sun, even though it is actually below the horizon, and which explains how mirages are created. The time of preparation - about 20 minutes (4 hours before the lesson!), the cost - few Euros.
Eureka! Light is a wave !
How to see that light is a wave – home laboratory of laser optics
Grzegorz F. WojewodaBydgoszcz, Poland
Eureka! Light is a wave!
We would like that our students could shout it with full conviction. In order to achieve it we can allow them to "play" in a darkened lab to make them discover phenomena of diffraction and light interference with use of simple and low-cost instruments. Availability of those instruments makes it possible to create in a classroom a number of stands for studying those phenomena. If conducting experiments during lessons is impossible or difficult, the experiments suggested by us can well be made at home by students. All experiments described here were conducted by the author of that paper at home during long autumn evenings. And there are still many more dark evenings to come, when all those experiments can be performed by our students.
Take special precautions when preparing razor blades - their cutting edge can cut your skin!
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| Home laser optical laboratory |
Palm pipe music!
Krzysztof PawłowskiCenter for Theoretical Physics PAS
Warsaw, Poland
You want to know how the organ work? You can easily check it in this experiment. It is both a colorful illustration to a lesson on acoustics and an interesting toy for the youngest. The time of preparation - about 40 minutes, the cost - about a few Euros.
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We gratefully acknowledge inspiration by Hisa Eksperimentov (http://www.h-e.si/)
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| Melodies |
Camera Obscura
Darken your classroom and use a webcam adapted for long exposure to demonstrate how does a Camera Obscura work...
Remotely Controlled Physics Experiments in Mechanics, Electromagnetism and Optics !
Remotely Controlled Laboratory Experiments - Classical Physics
It is not always possible to set up a classroom experiment. Lack of time or funds to set up an experiment? Do not panic! Nowadays, internet opens completely new possibilities by allowing users to perform live laboratory experiments in very much the same way as operating a remotely controlled telescopes or radiotelescopes .
Professor Hansjorg Jodl from Technical University in Kaiserslautern in Germany has created with his collaborators and students the Remotely Controlled Laboratory Portal
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Professor Franz Schauer from Tomas Bata Technical University in Zlin and University of Trnava in Czech Republic together with his Czech and Slovak collaborators used Intelligent School Experimental System (ISES) to build interactive real time remote physics experiment site.
All experiments can be controlled using ordinary browser. There is absolutely no danger of unexpected interference, in other words you cannot inflict any damage to the apparatus. Just click on links above or on images below, and enjoy!
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Electromagnetic induction |
Photovoltaic cell |
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Water level control |
Wind tunnel experiment |
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Oscilloscope |
Diifraction and interference |
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Forced oscillator |
Diifraction on a slit |
Gnomon
Gnomon, or a Sun Dial. Great instrument to find North-South direction, longitude, lattitude...
Frame-by-frame films
Have you ever observed in detail how a plant grows or seeds develop? They normally grow so slowly that in everyday life we barely notice their evolution. Here, we show you how to register such slow processes as frame-by-frame films using our SalsaJ software and share observations of plant growth, changing cloud patterns, the Moon wandering slowly over the sky, or a growing crystal ...
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Webcam and a school microscope - a new door to the microworld !!!
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| leaf - apple tree |
diffraction grid 50 lines/mm |
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| traveller's-joy - stalk | bean - root |
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| leaf - apple tree |
pumpkin - stalk |
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| growing point |
tobacco - ovary |
Pencil tensometric balance
Pencil tensometric balance
Bogusław MalańskiSternfeld Planetarium and Observatory,
Łódź, Poland
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Remotely Controlled Laboratory Subatomic Experiments !
Remotely Controlled Laboratory - Subatomic Experiments
It is not always possible to set up classroom experiment, especially if it deals with subatomic phenomena. Professor Hansjorg Jodl from Technical University in Kaiserslautern in Germany has created with his collaborators and students from Germany and Finland the Remotely Controlled Laboratory Portal which allows users to perform live laboratory experiments in very much the same way as operating a remotely controlled telescopes or radiotelescopes .
All experiments can be controlled using ordinary browser. There is absolutely no danger of unexpected interference, in other words you cannot inflict any damage to the apparatus. Just click on the RCL link above or on images below, and enjoy! Experiments are supported by a detailed documentation and discussion set of problems for students. We strongly recommend to read the documentation before starting actual experiments.
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Electron diffraction on Carbon |
Milikan experiment |
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Rutherford scattering experiment |
How to build a spectroscope
Power of Tens
How to determine the Earth circumference
eraen.pdf
Frame-by-frame films with a school microscope
Frame-by-Frame films with a school microscope
Krzysztof Makowski
Webcams not only allow observations of planets and stars, but they can record growth of life under the microscope. It is illustrated by a frame-by-frame films showing growth of an unidentified mould strain isolated from the air.
