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SUSIE LEMONT/Arizona Daily Wildcat
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Associate mathematics professor Bruce Bayly lies on a bed of nails last night at Physics Phun Nite. Physics professors, undergraduate and graduate students all performed physics experiments. The event will be repeated tonight at 7 in the Physical and Atmospheric Sciences building.
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By Ryan Johnson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday November 22, 2002
First night of Physics Phun draws 250 to observe Îfun' side physical equations
A professor lay on a bed of nails and an undergraduate shot a suspended teddy bear with a potato cannon as part of an event last night meant to show young students the fun side of physics.
About 250 people, mostly 7- to 16-year olds and their parents, watched as a host of professors, undergraduates and graduate students brought the equations of physics to life with exciting demonstrations during the first night of the annual Physics Phun Nite.
"We do the event to get the kids interested in physics. If there's one adjective associated with physics, it's hard. We want to show kids that it may be hard, but it's also a lot of fun," said Roy Emrick, professor emeritus of physics and the emcee of the event.
The event, which started over 20 years ago, included all branches of physics, including optics, magnetism and rocketry. Some skits even integrated physics with music.
Student teacher Erik Herman ran gas through a long metal tube with pinholes in the top. When he ignited the gas above the pinholes, a small flame protruded from each hole. He then ran music through the tube and each flame would go up or down depending on the pressure. As he tried different music pieces, the flames "danced."
Other skits were less showy but had the same effect on the crowd.
To demonstrate superconductivity, graduate student Shanna Shaked poured liquid nitrogen into a dish with a magnetic cube on top of a cylindrical magnet. As the nitrogen cooled the magnets, the cube seemed to float in the air and spin rapidly.
"It was cool that they froze the magnet and it went higher," said John Winslow, 7.
Because in past years the crowd filled all the seats and overflowed into the aisles, the same show will occur again tonight at 7 in the Physics and Atmospherical Sciences building, Room 201.
