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Physics Lecture Demonstration 

MECHANICS

(1G) - Newton's Second Law

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Last Page Update: 07/08/03
1G-Newton's Second Law
10. Force, Mass, and Acceleration
20. Accelerated Reference Frames
30. Complex Systems
Color Code Key:
  • All "Black" Listings are demos currently available.
  • All "Blue" Listings are new demos that are available.
  • All "Red" Listings are new demos that arn't available.
  • All "Green" Listings are broken or out of order.

1G10 - Force, Mass, and Acceleration

DCS # Demonstration Abstract/Description
1G10.10 acceleration air glider Air track cart pulled by a falling weight.
1G10.10 acceleration air glider Accelerate a car on a track with a mass on a string over a pulley.
1G10.10 glider, mass, and pulley An air track cart is timed while pulled by a mass on a string over a pulley.
1G10.10 string and weight acceleration (air Three cases of an air glider pulled by a falling weight.
1G10.11 constant mass acceleration system A cart on the air track is accelerated by a mass on a string over a pulley and final velocity timed photoelectrically. Keep the mass of the system constant by transferring from the cart to the pan.
1G10.11 acceleration air glider Air cart with a string over a pulley to a mass. Vary mass on both cart and hanger.
1G10.12 acceleration air glider on incline An puck is timed as it floats up an incline pulled by a string to a weight over a pulley.
1G10.13 acceleration air glider on incline An air track cart is accelerated up an inclined track by the string, pulley and mass system. A newton scale is included on the cart to measure the tension in the string directly. An electromagnet release and photogate timer at a fixed distance are used to derive acceleration.
1G10.14 acceleration glider accelerometer An elegant pendulum accelerometer designed for the air track. Reflected laser beam is directed to a scale at one end of the track.
1G10.16 acceleration with spring (airtrack) An air track glider is pulled by a small spring hand held at constant extension.
1G10.17 constant force generators A note that picks some nits about the hanging mass, mentions the "Neg'ator" spring.
1G10.18 battery propeller force generator Plans for a battery powered air track propeller that provides a constant force.
1G10.19 constant force generator A constant force generator for the air track based on the induction of eddy currents. It is easy to handle and can be self-made.
1G10.20 acceleration car Time the acceleration of a toy truck as it is pulled across the table by a mass on a string over a pulley.
1G10.21 acceleration car and track Apparatus Drawings Project No. 15: Large low friction acceleration carts and track for use in the lecture demonstration.
1G10.21 acceleration car Three different pulley arrangements allow a cart to be accelerated across the table top.
1G10.21 acceleration car A car is accelerated by a descending weight.
1G10.21 acceleration car, mass & pulley Distance and time are measured as a toy truck is accelerated by a mass and pulley system.
1G10.24 acceleration car photo Take a strobed photo of a light on a car pulled by a weight on a string over a pulley.
1G10.25 acceleration block Accelerate a block of wood across the table by a mass on a string over a pulley.
1G10.26 acceleration car A complex arrangement to accelerate a car, vary parameters, and graph results is shown. Details in appendix, p.549.
1G10.30 weight of a mass Suspend a mass from a spring balance and then cut the string.
1G10.30 mass on a scale Hang a mass on a spring scale to show reaction of the scale to mg.
1G10.40 Atwood's machine Two equal masses are hung from a light pulley. A small percentage of one mass is moved to the other side.
1G10.40 Atwood's machine Place 1 kg on each side of a light pulley on good bearings. Add 2 g to one side.
1G10.40 Atwood's machine Three skeletonized aluminum pulleys are mounted together on good bearings. Many combinations of weights may be tried.
1G10.40 Atwood's machine Two equal masses are hung from a light pulley. A small percentage of one mass is moved to the other side.
1G10.40 Atwood's machine An Atwood's machine using an air pulley.
1G10.40 Atwood's machine The small weight is removed after a period of acceleration and the resulting constant velocity is measured.
1G10.42 Atwood's machine Hang the weights from spring balances on each side.
1G10.44 Atwood's machine A rotation free Atwood's machine using air bearing surface and spark timer.
1G10.44 Atwood's machine Atwood's machine using an air bearing and spark timer.
1G10.45 Atwood's machine problem One of the best nerd problems ever.
1G10.45 Morin's machine Morin's (French) alternative to Atwood's (English) machine.
1G10.51 auto acceleration On using automotive magazine test results to study kinematic relations.
1G10.52 car time trials Use student's cars to do time trials in the school parking lot.

1G20 - Accelerated Reference Frames

DCS # Demonstration Abstract/Description
1G20.10 candle in a bottle Drop a candle burning in a large flask.
1G20.10 candle in a bottle Drop, toss up, and throw a bottle containing a lighted candle.
1G20.10 gravitational pressure in circulatio Drop a plexiglass container with a lighted candle.
1G20.10 bottle and candle Throw a jug with a lighted candle into the air.
1G20.10 candle in a bottle A lighted candle in a glass chimney in a large container will burn for a long time unless dropped.
1G20.10 candle in a bottle A candle in a dropped chimney goes out after 2-3 meters due to absence of convection currents.
1G20.10 candle in dropped jar Drop a closed jar containing a burning candle.
1G20.11 falling candle doesn't work Hey, when these guys tried it they could drop the bottle 25 feet and the candle only went out upon deceleration.
1G20.13 elevator paradox A large hydrometer flask in a beaker of water remains at its equilibrium position as the beaker is moved up and down.
1G20.14 four demos Four demos: Drop a weight on a spring balance, drop a cup with weights on rubber bands, drop a candle in a bottle, drop or throw a tube of water containing a rising cork.
1G20.20 ball in a thrown tube Invert and throw a 4' plexiglass tube full of water that contains a cork. The rising cork will remain stationary during the throw.
1G20.20 ball in a thrown tube Throw or drop long water filled tube containing a cork. Also try a rubber stopper or air bubble.
1G20.20 falling bubble A rising bubble in a jar remains stationary while the jar is thrown.
1G20.20 ball in a thrown tube A long thin tube with an air bubble is tossed across the room.
1G20.21 modified falling tube Couple a lead weight and cork with a spring and put the assembly in a tube of water so the cork just floats. Drop the tube and the cork sinks.
1G20.21 ball in a falling tube A cork remains submerged in a falling jar of water. Diagram of a mousetrap mechanism.
1G20.22 ball in a falling tube A ball and tube are dropped simultaneously from the ceiling. The ball strikes the bottom of the tube after hitting the floor.
1G20.30 drop pail with holes First drop a can with several vertical holes to show no flow in free fall, then rig up a pulley system to accelerate the pail greater than g (shown), and the top hole will issue the longest stream of water.
1G20.30 leaky pail drop Punch a hole in the bottom of a can and fill it with water. When you drop it, no water will run out.
1G20.33 pop the balloon This device pops a balloon if it is not in free fall. Toss it to a student to give them a real bang.
1G20.34 vanishing weight A strip of paper pulled from between two weights will tear except when dropped.
1G20.36 vanishing weight Weights compress the tube of an air whistle until in free fall when the whistle blows.
1G20.38 Einstein's birthday present A ball attached to a tube by a weak rubber band is pulled to the tube in free fall.
1G20.40 cup and weights Hang 1 kg weights from heavy rubber bands extending from the center over the edge of a styrofoam bucket. Drop the thing.
1G20.40 cup & weights Further discussion of the R. D. Edge article describing dropping a styrofoam cup with weights suspended over the edge by rubber bands.
1G20.41 vanishing weight - dropping things 1) Drop a mass on a spring scale, 2) Drop an object with a second object hanging by a rubber band, 3) stretch a rubber band over the edge of a container and drop.
1G20.42 vanishing weight A parcel scale is dropped with a bag of sand on the platform.
1G20.43 elevators A battery powered circuit is constructed in a box causes a light to glow while a spring scale is unloaded. The light will glow while a loaded spring scale is in free fall.
1G20.44 drop a mass on a spring Drop a frame with an oscillating mass on a spring and the mass will be pulled up but stop oscillating.
1G20.45 dropped slinky Hold a slinky so some of it extends downward, then drop it to show the contraction.
1G20.46 vanishing weight Drop a frame containing three different masses hanging on identical springs or a frame with a pendulum.
1G20.47 dropping pendulum Suspend a pendulum from a stick. Drop the stick when the pendulum is at an extreme and the stick and pendulum will maintain the same relative position.
1G20.55 falling frame shoot A falling cage is equipped with two guns lined up with holes in two sheets and a net to catch the ball. The balls don't go through the holes unless the cage is in free fall.
1G20.60 elevators Quickly raise and lower a spring balance-mass system.
1G20.61 elevators Discussion of the elevator problem and a car going around a curve.
1G20.62 elevators A rope over a ceiling mounted pulley has a weight on one side and a spring scale and lighter weight on the other side.
1G20.63 elevators An apparatus to quantitatively demonstrate the forces acting on a passenger standing on a spring scale in an elevator. Diagrams.
1G20.64 elevator The elevator is a spring scale and potentiometer combination.
1G20.70 accelerometer on tilted air track The water surface of a liquid accelerometer on a tilted air track remains parallel to the angle of the air track during acceleration.
1G20.70 showing acceleration Put a cart on an incline, mount a liquid accelerometer on the cart and mark the reference at rest, give the cart a push up the incline and observe the accelerometer as the car goes up, stops, and comes back down.
1G20.70 accelerometer A Lucite box containing colored glycerine mounted on a cart is rolled down an incline or given a push up an incline.
1G20.70 local vertical with acceleration Place a liquid accelerometer on an air track glider on an inclined air track
1G20.75 helium balloon accelerometer Put two students in a car with a helium balloon.
1G20.75 accelerometer A balloon filled with air is suspended from the top and a helium balloon from the bottom of a clear box mounted on wheels.
1G20.76 float accelerometer A float in a glass of water on an accelerating cart. Also, moving in uniform circular motion.
1G20.76 accelerometer Two flasks full of water, one has a cork ball, the other has a heavier than water ball.
1G20.76 accelerometer An iron ball is suspended from the top and a cork ball from the bottom of a clear box filled with water mounted on wheels.
1G20.76 accelerometers Two jars of water, one has a light ball suspended from the bottom, the other has a heavy ball suspended from the top.
1G20.79 accelerometer A design for a high quality accelerometer.
1G20.80 cart and elastic band Place an accelerometer (cork on a string in a clear water filled box) on a cart and attach a strong rubber band to one end. Push the cart down the bench while holding the rubber band.
1G20.85 acceleration pendulum cart Push a skateboard across the lecture bench so an attached pendulum is displaced at a constant angle.
1G20.87 accelerometer The bubble of a spirit level moves in the direction of acceleration.
1G20.87 accelerometer Place a carpenter's level on Fletcher's trolley and use the bubble as an accelerometer.
1G20.88 accelerometer A discussion of "U" tube manometers for use as accelerometers.

1G30 - Complex Systems

DCS # Demonstration Abstract/Description
1G30.11 Poggendorff's experiment The reaction on an Atwood's pulley hanging from a scale is twice the harmonic mean of the suspended weights.
1G30.11 tension in Atwood's machine Hang an Atwood's machine from a spring scale and take readings in both static and dynamic cases.
1G30.12 double Atwood's machine problem The mass on one side of the Atwood's machine is replaced with another Atwood's machine.
1G30.20 mass on spring, on balance A mass on a spring oscillates on one side of a tared balance.
1G30.20 mass on a spring, on balance A large ball on a stretched spring is tared on a platform balance. The string is burned and the motion observed.
1G30.20 acceleration on a balance Burn the string extending a mass on a spring on a tared platform balance.
1G30.25 weigh a yo-yo A yo-yo is hung from one side of a balanced critically damped platform scale.
1G30.30 hourglass on a balance An hourglass runs down on a tared, critically damped balance.
1G30.30 acceleration of center of mass A very large hourglass is placed on a critically damped balance. The deflection is noted as the sand starts, continues, and stops falling.
1G30.30 acceleration of center of mass An hourglass full of lead shot is tared on a critically damped platform balance. The resultant force is observed as the lead shot starts, continues, and stops falling.
1G30.30 hourglass on a balance An hourglass on one side of a equal arm balance.
1G30.31 acceleration of center of mass An apparatus to show transient and steady state conditions in the hourglass problem.
1G30.32 the hourglass problem Careful analysis and demonstration shows that the center of mass is actually accelerating upwards during most of the process.
1G30.33 acceleration of center of mass A funnel full of water is placed on a tared platform balance and the water is then released and runs into a beaker.
1G30.34 reaction balance One mass on an equal arm balance is supported by pulleys at the end and fulcrum. The balance is in equilibrium if the string holding the mass is held fast or pulled in uniform motion. Look it up.
1G30.35 acceleration of center of mass A ball is dropped in a tall cylinder filled with oil while the entire assembly is on a balance. A hollow iron ball may be released from an electromagnet on the bottom and float to the top.