Category: Everyday

Tennis Ball Plus Soccer Ball Equals Blown Minds

Screen cap of the video in the post, showing me dropping a tennis ball on top of a soccer ball.

As noted last week, I went to SteelyKid’s day camp on Tuesday to talk about being a college professor. This was a little awkward, because I was scheduled to talk to kids ranging from not-quite-three to six-and-a-bit, and really, what do they care about the daily routine of physics faculty? So, I did a simple… Continue reading Tennis Ball Plus Soccer Ball Equals Blown Minds

Impressive Physics Tricks for Little Kids?

We got an email from the people running SteelyKid’s summer camp asking for volunteers to speak at a career day sort of event early next week. I said “Sure, I can do that, and talk about the glamorous life of a physics professor and book author.” They said “Great, you’ll be talking to several groups,… Continue reading Impressive Physics Tricks for Little Kids?

Smashing Stuff and Making Ice Cream

Union students Andrew, Harrisonn, Beka, Matthew, and Shauna doing liquid nitrogen demos for visiting second-graders.

A few weeks back, a Union alumnus who works at Troy Prep contacted the college to arrange a visit for a bunch of second-graders, and asked if faculty would be willing to arrange talks and demos for the kids. I said something like “Sure, we could probably make liquid nitrogen ice cream for them,” and… Continue reading Smashing Stuff and Making Ice Cream

Clocks, Microwaves, and the Limits of Fermi Problems

I don’t have anything all that new to say about last night’s Cosmos reboot, and I’m leaving for scenic Madison, WI today to attend DAMOP, so I don’t have a great deal of time. Kate did mention something over dinner last night, though, that’s a good topic for a quick blog post. Kate’s a big… Continue reading Clocks, Microwaves, and the Limits of Fermi Problems

“Earthing” Is a Bunch of Crap

A little while back, I was put in touch with a Wall Street Journal writer who was looking into a new-ish health fad called “earthing,” which involves people sleeping on special grounded mats and that sort of thing. The basis of this particular bit of quackery is the notion that spending time indoors, out of… Continue reading “Earthing” Is a Bunch of Crap

SteelyKid Demonstrates Relativity

SteelyKid tosses a ball to demonstrate Galileian relativity.

Before going to the playground Saturday to investigate non-intertial frames, SteelyKid and I went over to campus to do some experiments in relativity. Galileian relativity, that is: What you see here is SteelyKid sitting on a rolling lab cart with a camera bolted to it. She throws a ball up in the air a couple… Continue reading SteelyKid Demonstrates Relativity

Non-Inertial Playground Physics

SteelyKid on the merry-go-round used for this experiment.

The Schenectady JCC, where SteelyKid and The Pip go to day care, has a playground with a merry-go-round on it. How this hasn’t been sued out of existence, I have no idea, but it’s a great boon to a physics professor. I’ve used it before to talk about angular momentum, but this weekend I enlisted… Continue reading Non-Inertial Playground Physics

String Experiment: Capillary Action is Complicated

The highly sophisticated experimental apparatus.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I do a lot of work these days in my local Starbucks. This is slightly ironic, as I don’t like coffee– instead, I order tea, which I put in an insulated travel mug. I tend to get the tea, carry the mug back to the table, and let it steep… Continue reading String Experiment: Capillary Action is Complicated