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Media that I like...
  • The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
    The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
    by Sam Kean
  • NOVA - Origins
    NOVA - Origins
    starring Neil Degrasse Tyson
  • Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn
    Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn
    by Larry D. Rosen Ph.D.
  • Human Body: Pushing the Limits
    Human Body: Pushing the Limits
    starring Bray Poor
Wednesday
Sep012010

Video Demo: Fire Piston

I bought this fire syringe from the Science Outlet.  The video above shows that when the piston is forced down rapidly, the air molecules compress causing a huge increase in temperature.  This causes the piece of cotton in the syringe to ignite.  This is very similar to what happens with the reentry of the space shuttle into the Earth's atmosphere.

Sunday
Aug222010

Video Demo: Apple Inertia


Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist a change in its motion.  An apple and a knife are moving downward.  The counter-top applies an unbalanced force upward on the knife.  The knife decelerates, but the apple does not.  The apple decelerates only when the knife handle applies a force upward on it.

Friday
Aug062010

Video Demo: Forces and Motion

According to Newton's first law of motion, an object moving at constant velocity will continue to move at constant velocity unless an outside unbalanced force is applied.  This is why moving objects on Earth will always slow down and stop.  The outside unbalanced force that does it is friction.  Watch the video to see how friction affects the motion of a marble on a track.

 

Sunday
Jul252010

Video Demo: Constant Speed Car

Speed is the rate at which an object covers a distance.  How do you know if that rate changes or not?  The video shows how to determine if the speed of an object is constant.

Tuesday
Jul202010

Video Demo: Accelerometer

Velocity is speed in a given direction.  How is a change in velocity (acceleration) detected?  Accelerometers.  Most smartphones have accelerometers to detect changes in velocity to monitor certain tasks.  The video demonstrates a very basic accelerometer and how it works.