How to "Hear Your Muscles"

You can "Hear Your Muscles." Do I really need to explain why this is a cool video? Okay, I will.  

Because it addresses our goal with the “Try This Experiment Right Now” series-- which is to teach you how to do an experiment that teaches meaningful physics with no equipment other than what you already have in your pocket. Therefore anybody can do it. 

The demos are unique, because most teachers don’t already know about this experiment, so it improves instruction in easy, timely yet awesome ways.

Share my new series with other teachers...

I created this informational flier for those who want to share the series with others. I will feature these videos on the blogs on certain days, but here is a list/overview of the entire series. 

“Try This Experiment Right Now” video series is perfect for Back to School.

9 Original Videos starring Anna Spitz and writer/director James Lincoln provide examples of experiments you can perform immediately with just the cell phone in your pocket or the computer in front of you.

Many of these demos have never been seen or explained anywhere else! 

1.       See Your Retina   Teaches you how to look at the blood vessels in the back of your eye!

2.      Hear Ultrasonic  Connects you to an easy test to the upper limit of human hearing

3.      Easy Beats  shows how simple it is to demonstrate soundwave interference

4.      Up Down Dizzy  teaches about the inner ear and a new way to experience dizziness

5.      Audio Triangulation shows that the speed of sound in air is slower than you think

6.      Sing Happy Birthday reveals why Americans always start that song on the same note

7.      Hear Your Muscles a fun and easy way to find out what muscles sound like

8.      Newton’s Eye Poke a little known classic experiment from the master himself

9.      Credit Card Diffraction the easiest diffraction experiment you will ever do!

All the videos can be found at the AAPT Films Page: 

www.youtube.com/AAPTFilms

New Series of Videos: "Try This Experiment Right Now"

I have recently uploaded several videos in a new series called "Try This Experiment Right Now," a series that I created for the AAPT Films project. 

In this series, we introduce our talented new host Anna Spitz!

These quick and easy ideas can liven up your physics classroom in the new school year and enhance student participation in simple physics experiments!

If you are too lazy to get up from your computer, you can still try many of these experiments RIGHT NOW (hence the title of the series :))!

Get ready for Anna Spitz to teach you about the concept of "beats."




  For example, you don't have to get up from your computer to try this experiment, Easy Beats, but you do need a working set of computer speakers and Internet access. 



You may want to bookmark this website so you can try the beats experiment with your class once the new school year begins: http://onlinetonegenerator.com/

I will feature more of these videos on the blog every day this week!

Making Good Physics Videos: Presentation and Article

This summer, I presented at the AAPT National Meeting in College Park, MD: "Making Good Physics Videos (for Flip the Classroom and Beyond)." 

University of Maryland

Session presentation description: 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 talk, you will learn the five methods of video engagement, and effective video writing techniques that will improve your video quality and improve audience engagement. Tips and ideas for effective and engaging physics demos are also included.

For more information about making films with your science students, please read my article in the National Association for Gifted Children's (NAGC) SCOPE Curriculum Studies newsletter, Fall 2012 edition, a downloadable PDF file. You can even see some of my original storyboard images in the article.