Physics Demonstrations

These pages constitute a clearinghouse of information on some of the lecture demonstrations used by the Gettysburg College Physics Department.


Electricity and Magnetism

• Electroscope
• Hot Dog Fry (Cookin' with Current)

Kinematics and Linear Dynamics

• Ballistic Cart
• Bowling Ball Pendulum
• Conservation of momentum (with gliders on air track)
• Finding the center of mass with your fingers
• Gravity's effect on different masses.
• Inertia with a glider (air track)
• Monkey Gun
• Newton's Third Law with bathroom scales
• Second Law of Motion Device
• Suspended Collision Balls
• Time Intervals of Falling Objects
• Water Top

None

• Alternative to Table Cloth Pull
• Simple Air Pressure
• Table Cloth Pull
• Test

Rotational Dynamics

• Centripetal Acceleration
• Human Gyroscope
• Ice Skater (L-consv)
• More with gyroscope (bike wheel)
• Tricks With Torque

Thermodynamics

• Thermoelectric Converter
• Water balloon heat capacity

Vibrations and Waves

• Doppler Shift
• Reflected Pulses on a Spring
• Standing Waves (with long spring)
• Standing Waves (with mechanical oscillator)
• Transverse vs. Longitudinal (Compressional) Waves (with springs)
• Vibration Nodes of Long Rod

To enter a new demo or edit an existing demo, log in to CNAV and go to My Place > My Physics Demos.