AAPT 2015 Winter Meeting

I will be presenting at the AAPT 2015 Winter Meeting in San Diego this weekend. 

I will be presenting two workshops, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I will also give a presentation about awesome infrared demos--it will feature many original demos, so you don't want to miss it!

W01: Workshop on Digital Spectroscopy

Sponsored by the Committee on Space Science and Astronomy

January 3rd, Saturday, 8am-12pm: 

Member price: $65              Non-member price: $90

Location: SCST 290

Hosted by Trina Cannon, Gilliam Collegiate Academy

New Demonstration Experiments in Spectrum Analsyis. In this workshop, master demonstrator James Lincoln instructs on new techniques in performing spectrum analysis experiments with your students that are sure to improve their learning experiences. The presentation will also feature classic trusted demos. Learn how to use the RSPEC Explorer, a new and inexpensive apparatus that makes teaching spectrum clear to students. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop computer.  

Watch this video about the RSPEC Explorer on Arbor Scientific's YouTube Channel:

Sunday's Workshop

W30: Making Good Physics Videos

Sponsors: Committee on Apparatus and Committee on Educational Technologies

January 4th, Sunday, 8am-12pm: 

Member price: $70              Non-member price: $95

Location: SCST 252

Flipping the Classroom and the emergence of free online video hosting has led many of us to be asked to make videos of our lessons and demos. In this workshop, you will learn the five methods of video engagement, fast and effective video writing techniques, and beginner/intermediate editing skill competency theat will improve your video quality and help get your message across more effectively. Your instructor is master physics teacher and filmmaker James Lincoln who has made over 100 science videos. Tips and ideas for effective and engaging physics demos are also included. 

You can read an article (published in the National Association for Gifted Children's SCOPE newsletter )about creating science videos with students here: "Engaging Students Through the Production of Student Films: Advice for Successful Movies"

See more information about the conference here: http://www.aapt.org/Conferences/wm2015/ 

You can read descriptions of the many presentations from the conference program here. 

Plasma Globes and Catalogue Covers!

Today I received Arbor Scientific's latest catalogue in the mail. An image from my plasma globe video was included on the cover. 

My article and video "Top Ten Demonstrations with the Plasma Globe" were published on the Arbor Scientific CoolStuff blog recently.

Do you need to be convinced to check out this video? One person, John, commented on my CoolStuff blog/video: "I had no idea that the plasma globe could be used for so many different things. The video format was really accessible. I would have never read and article about this but a 5 minutes video with clear explanations was perfect." Thanks, John!

On the Arbor YouTube Channel, below my video, a Belgian student named Robin commented that he will be trying one of the experiments from the video for a project in his science class. 

I am glad that the video is inspiring students and teachers around the world to use plasma globes in new ways to learn physics concepts. 

First Official Video: AAPT Films: Genecon Hand Crank Generator

I am excited to announce that the first official AAPT Films video is complete. 

You can watch the video here or just click play (below).

What is a genecon hand crank generator?

Here's how it works: you turn the handle and it generates current that you can use for anything you want, such as making a lightbulb glow.  The faster you crank, the higher the voltage output.  

My video covers awesome experiments that you can do using the hand crank generator. 

Some other tools you may need for the experiments will include:

1) a voltmeter

2) an ammeter

Let's Get Sustainable!

The genecon presents us with a chance to feel the cost of producing electric energy.  For example, if you hook one to a parallel circuit, you will appreciate that this circuit is using a lot of power, because you are the source of that power.  The more light bulbs that are screwed in, the more difficult it becomes to keep up with the demand.  

You can also appreciate how efficient LED lights are at producing energy, here I am easily able to power all of these LEDs.   If I send the current the other way, they don’t light up.  Cranking a genecon is an excellent way to communicate this message.  

Final Thoughts

All of the experiments you will see in the video make interactive lab stations for students. Every student should have the chance to generate electricity!

Top Ten Best Plasma Ball Demos

You have a plasma ball in your lab, now what should you do with it? 

Check out this video I made to find out about demos and what you and your students can learn from each simple yet engaging demo. Most physical science standards require that students understand plasma as the fourth state of matter. 

What is a plasma ball? Well, by my definition, it is a safe and engaging tool for studying high voltages in the electric field.

One sample demo is the following: The electric field can be investigated with a small neon bulb or diode. If you bring it close to the plasma ball, it will light up! There are nine more interesting demos included in the video. What are you waiting for? Just go watch it!





Arbor Scientific also featured this video on their blog and you can watch it on their YouTube channel as well. If you want to learn about the demos in writing, go read the article at the Arbor Scientific Cool Stuff blog.

Case of the Mondays? Try the Spill Not!

Got a case of the Mondays? You probably do, after a long weekend, even if it is a Tuesday.

Did you spill coffee all over your white shirt today? In my case, I would be spilling Diet Coke...or not...here's why...

Check out this video about a nifty tool called the SpillNot and all the wacky stuff it can do in a video I made for Arbor Scientific. For those of you physics teachers out there, you can use the Spill Not to teach some physics concepts, such as fluid mechanics and the stability of fluid surfaces. You may find similarities to the familiar demo "Greek Waiter's Tray"...for more details check out the article for Arbor's Cool Stuff blog below.

Honestly it was surprising how much fun I had playing with this little gadget. So simple, yet so…well, just click the link to the video and blog entry at Arbor and you’ll see. 

All About Tuning Forks

Tuning forks--every physics teacher should have these tools in their repertoire. Above, you can see a tuning fork hitting water in slow motion. You could show this video at the beginning of class to "hook" students' interest before a lesson about vibration, fluid, or a lab involving tuning forks.

Tuning forks seem simple, but they can be used to teach many complex physics concepts. I won't repeat here what I have written about and talked about elsewhere, in articles and videos--just click on the link below.

Read "Ten Things You Should Do with a Tuning Fork"in the March 2013 edition of The Physics Teacher. Read the abstract below. 

This article was in the top ten downloaded articles for Feb 2013, when the article was released online before print release in March.

Tuning forks are wonderful tools for teaching physics. Every physics classroom should have several and every physics student should be taught how to use them. In this article, I highlight 10 enriching demonstrations that most teachers might not know, as well as provide tips to enhance the demonstrations teachers might already be doing. Some of these demonstrations have appeared in literature before, but this paper will serve as a collection of ideas that will be helpful for both the beginner and master teacher.

Stay tuned,because coming up, another video I created, as well as a blog entry, about top ten demos with tuning forks for Arbor Scientific.