Most people take time for granted. And I don't just mean that it's hard to find enough time to do interesting things. I mean that the very notion that time flows in one direction is just a given in most peoples lives, and rarely noticed.
But to a physicist, contemplating time reveals an odd realization; none of the physical laws that we have discovered seem to restrict how or why time should flow forward vs. backwards. In other words, our physical laws are symmetric, and make no distinction between whether time is going forwards or backwards.
But watch this video. It is really easy to tell when time (and the video) is running forward vs. backwards. Why is that?
Follow this link for Sean's nice post on the Arrow of Time for some extra insights.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Crayon Physics
Check out Petri Purho's game called "Crayon Physics." You can download it from here for free.
The premise is pretty simple. Draw objects on the screen with crayon, and watch them obey the laws of physics. The key is to figure out how to use what you know about physics to move a ball from one place to another. Some of the puzzles are easy, but others take some real creativity.
When my wife first saw the name and interface, she blew it off completely. But she happened to be watching when I was trying to solve one particularly tricky problem, and got sucked in within 30 seconds. Really cool. There's a new version coming out soon.
The premise is pretty simple. Draw objects on the screen with crayon, and watch them obey the laws of physics. The key is to figure out how to use what you know about physics to move a ball from one place to another. Some of the puzzles are easy, but others take some real creativity.
When my wife first saw the name and interface, she blew it off completely. But she happened to be watching when I was trying to solve one particularly tricky problem, and got sucked in within 30 seconds. Really cool. There's a new version coming out soon.
Make a Hi-Fi Speaker With a Paper Plate
Here's a fun little project that can lead to all sorts of interesting experiments and design ideas.
Jose Pino has managed to design a simple speaker that you can build from a couple of bucks worth of components that you likely already have lying around the house. The whole thing can be done in about an hour (not including time for the glue to dry), perfect for a lab or study hall period.
You follow his step-by-step instructions online here, but the fun part would be to see if you couldn't really begin to up the fidelity by working on some acoustics and cavity resonance, perhaps trying some other materials.....
Start here, and see what you can imagine!
Jose Pino has managed to design a simple speaker that you can build from a couple of bucks worth of components that you likely already have lying around the house. The whole thing can be done in about an hour (not including time for the glue to dry), perfect for a lab or study hall period.
Start here, and see what you can imagine!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
For All You Hacker Wannabes Out There
So who can tell me why this is funny and scary at the same time for any computer scientist?!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Describing Motion: Kinematics
Now that you've started to build things that move, wouldn't it be cool if you could TALK about how they move?
I don't mean in the "Dude! My nifty robot just biffed into 50 pieces when it rolled off the table," sense. I mean in the NASA-type, "I'm going to tell you EXACTLY how it moved so you can build one too," sort of way. It might sometimes sound a little nerdy and stilted, but it is exactly this sort of precise language and careful description that enables us to land probes on other planets as well as design reliable and safe (and fast) cars, and so on. It might even help you on the occasional Physics test.
Most of this, all of you already know. You know how the "accelerator" speeds up a car and that the brake "decelerates" a car ("Deceleration" is the same as saying "acceleration in the opposite direction that you are moving.") You know that if you accelerate, you speed up (increase velocity) and if you decelerate, you slow down. Now we just need to get a little more precise about how we talk about it, how we use math to describe situations, and how we can use charts and graphs to really help understand what is going on.
There are two important aspects of accurately describing how things move: One is agreeing how we can all develop a common language to keep track of directions and measurements. The other is how to use the language and logic of mathematics to use what we have measured to make accurate predictions of how things will move in the future. Being able to speak about, and measure, and plot data surrounding motion is the first step.
So without worrying about the details, try fiddling with a couple if the simulations that I link to below. If you are even the slightest bit unsure or confused about how position, velocity, and acceleration are all interrelated and how each affects motion, or even how to use each of those terms to describe a situation, then these simulations are exactly what you need.
Move the Man. This is a neat little simulation where you can drag an icon of a person around and have it graph the position, velocity, and acceleration. Be sure to check the velocity and acceleration boxes at the bottom middle of the page under "Vectors" so you can see the
Using Hotwheels to learn about position, velocity and acceleration. This is a nice series of links that describe position, velocity, and acceleration. Be sure to click through all of the links on the left-hand side of the page to really understand the most typical situations, paying particular attention to the graphs of how each variable changes with respect to the others.
I don't mean in the "Dude! My nifty robot just biffed into 50 pieces when it rolled off the table," sense. I mean in the NASA-type, "I'm going to tell you EXACTLY how it moved so you can build one too," sort of way. It might sometimes sound a little nerdy and stilted, but it is exactly this sort of precise language and careful description that enables us to land probes on other planets as well as design reliable and safe (and fast) cars, and so on. It might even help you on the occasional Physics test.
Most of this, all of you already know. You know how the "accelerator" speeds up a car and that the brake "decelerates" a car ("Deceleration" is the same as saying "acceleration in the opposite direction that you are moving.") You know that if you accelerate, you speed up (increase velocity) and if you decelerate, you slow down. Now we just need to get a little more precise about how we talk about it, how we use math to describe situations, and how we can use charts and graphs to really help understand what is going on.
There are two important aspects of accurately describing how things move: One is agreeing how we can all develop a common language to keep track of directions and measurements. The other is how to use the language and logic of mathematics to use what we have measured to make accurate predictions of how things will move in the future. Being able to speak about, and measure, and plot data surrounding motion is the first step.
So without worrying about the details, try fiddling with a couple if the simulations that I link to below. If you are even the slightest bit unsure or confused about how position, velocity, and acceleration are all interrelated and how each affects motion, or even how to use each of those terms to describe a situation, then these simulations are exactly what you need.
The key thing to understand is how acceleration can be either aligned in the same direction with motion, in effect reinforcing it and speeding it (increasing its velocity), or acceleration can be aligned against motion, slowing the motion and decreasing the velocity.
In Physics we use the mathematical convention of sign (positive or negative numbers) to keep track of whether objects are accelerating in the same, or opposite direction they are moving. If an object is accelerating in the same direction it is moving, both the acceleration and velocity should have the same sign. If they are opposed, they have opposite signs.
Observe how the graphs reflect all of these. Learn how to look at something moving and make position, velocity and accelerations graphs, and learn how to look at these graphs and be able to describe how something is moving.
Also, observe how the relative DIRECTION of the acceleration versus the velocity has a big influence on motion. You'll be hearing more about vectors very soon.
Finally, do post questions or suggestions by clicking on the comments link below, and we will answer as soon as possible. (and note that you can post anonymously!)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Our Lab's Honor Code
1. Safety
Always remember that safety is job #1.
Okay, now that the Dilbert moment is over, really take a moment to think about how this laboratory is different from your prior experience. What you will find in the Exploratorium are truly professional-grade scientific and technical tools and truly commercial-grade materials and components that you can use to build real stuff and conduct genuine scientific research. These are not contrived pre-approved academic experimental setups with all the sharp corners sanded off. Carelessness can result in injury.
The soldering irons really do heat up to over 800 degrees Celsius and can cause serious burns almost instantly. Hot glue is REALLY hot, and worse, it sticks to you. Large capacitors and batteries can actually burst and burn you (witness Apple’s recent battery recall woes.) It is possible to carve off a finger with a miniature mill if you try hard enough (it would take concerted effort or a truly stupendous moment of neglect, but sanding the tip of your finger off, while much less traumatic , is easier than you might imagine.)
Your first lesson in the lab will be an introduction to all the tools and techniques to use them safely. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ONE LESSON if no other.
Golden rule #1 Always treat the tools and materials with respect. If they CAN get hot or sharp, or damaging in any way, ALWAYS treat them as if they might be so at all times.
Golden rule #2 This is a working lab with TOOLS that are not TOYS. Do not play with them! Of all the places in the school, this is actually one area where horseplay can literally hurt you or your friends and is simply not tolerated.
2. Fellowship
The people that are most successful in discovering and building cool things are the ones that learn how to best work productively with other people. Learn from each other and support each other in the learning and discovery process. A little bit of extra thought and consideration in how you can each contribute to building a supportive community will go a long way.
Golden Rule #3 Exploratorium Tools and Equipment Must Stay in the Exploratorium. Everyone has a right to use the tools, and that right cannot be exercised if anyone steals a tool. If we want to keep the Exploratorium open, we all need to keep the tools here and in good shape. Professional grade tools are expensive and unlikely to be replaced easily. If the tools vanish, so too will our lab. Free and open access to tools and instruments of this quality is a powerful privilege that will vanish if we fail to protect it.
Golden Rule #4 Keep the Common Experimental Areas Neat and Clean. Research and engineering labs can often tend towards organizational chaos in the throes of invention and discovery, particularly when they are shared. Everyone must clean up after themselves EVERY TIME they use the lab, so plan your time and experiments accordingly. Leave the areas and tools you use either as neat as, or neater than, you found them.
Golden Rule #5 Keep parts and materials freely available, and don’t horde them. One of the great annoyances that arise in trying to build something is to discover that a part you might need is not available. The Exploratorium staff will do its best to ensure that the stock of parts is up to-date, and that we do everything we can to order any unusual parts individuals might request. Only take the parts you really need for your work in this lab, and return unused materials to the organized storage and parts bins. If parts start wandering outside the lab and into private or outside projects, we will have to lock and supervise the parts cabinet, and that will only slow everyone down and cause general frustration.
Golden Rule #6 Contribute to the Exploratorium and its community. Each of you can make a huge difference in how this lab grows and evolves. Do you have otherwise unused parts or tools that you can contribute? Do you know how to use a tool that someone else is struggling with? Do you have an old walkman, CD player or iPod that doesn’t work anymore? Do you have an idea for a cool project or piece of equipment that could make the lab more capable? Bring it on!
3. Intellectual & Creative Freedom
As our society becomes ever more technological and complex, there is a burgeoning need for real creativity and unique and novel solutions to problems with no obvious answers. The question of the day is then, how can we train 21st century leaders (that’s you students, by the way) to be truly creative to the point where they (you) can solve this century’s challenges. One of the most powerful methods is to help you build a community that fosters collaborative creativity and innovation.
True creativity and innovation has rarely sprung forth in a vacuum from isolated genius. Many of history’s greatest ideas started as half-baked conjectures or even hare-brained guesses. It was through discussion and debate and prolonged refinement from many contributors that great human endeavors have advanced. Collaboration and cooperation has been absolutely fundamental to social and technical advance. Learn how to do it productively.
It is often very easy to criticize. While more difficult, supportive and positive brainstorming is MUCH more effective. New ideas, hopes, and dreams, especially in their earliest moments, are fragile things easily killed by a careless word or criticism. Instead of saying something like, “That’s a stupid idea because….,” or “That will never work because you obviously didn’t think of…” or “There is no such thing as a stupid idea, only stupid people…” consider what you might say to refine or improve an idea in a supportive way. Yes, it is much easier to destroy than build. Be a builder.
Golden Rule #7 No Squashing ideas. Instead, help brainstorm around how to improve them.
Golden Rule #8 Keep a record for other innovators, posterity, and your college applications. Every good scientist or engineer keeps a lab book where they can record data, scribble crazy ideas and diagrams and refer to years after the original thought. Whether you do so electronically via a blog (my preferred open-access alternative these days), or on an old-school paper notebook is up to you, but some form of lab book is required. If you don’t want to have to lug it around, you can store it in the lab. You will thank WISE when you win your Nobel or McArthur prizes as they will be worth real money.
4. Your Contract
By signing this document (which you must do to gain access to the lab), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and internalized the rules and philosophies described in this document, and that you will abide by them. Here is a condensed list for your review right next to your signature.
Golden Rule #1 Always treat the tools and materials with respect.
Golden Rule #2 This is a working lab with TOOLS that are not TOYS. Do not play with them!
Golden Rule #3 Exploratorium Tools and Equipment Must Stay in the Exploratorium.
Golden Rule #4 Keep the Common Experimental Areas Neat and Clean.
Golden Rule #5 Keep parts and materials freely available, and don’t horde them.
Golden Rule #6 Contribute to the Exploratorium and its community.
Golden Rule #7 No Squashing ideas. Instead, help brainstorm around how to improve them.
Golden Rule #8 Keep a record for other innovators, posterity, and your college applications.
Further, you acknowledge that you have attended and understood and internalized the Exploratorium safety class lessons. Lastly, you also understand that by failing to abide by any of these rules, or any other common-sense practices that ensure the safety and productivity of the lab, that you will lose your access rights to the Exploratorium, and may be referred to the Honor Counsel or other school disciplinary bodies as appropriate.
Always remember that safety is job #1.
Okay, now that the Dilbert moment is over, really take a moment to think about how this laboratory is different from your prior experience. What you will find in the Exploratorium are truly professional-grade scientific and technical tools and truly commercial-grade materials and components that you can use to build real stuff and conduct genuine scientific research. These are not contrived pre-approved academic experimental setups with all the sharp corners sanded off. Carelessness can result in injury.
The soldering irons really do heat up to over 800 degrees Celsius and can cause serious burns almost instantly. Hot glue is REALLY hot, and worse, it sticks to you. Large capacitors and batteries can actually burst and burn you (witness Apple’s recent battery recall woes.) It is possible to carve off a finger with a miniature mill if you try hard enough (it would take concerted effort or a truly stupendous moment of neglect, but sanding the tip of your finger off, while much less traumatic , is easier than you might imagine.)
Your first lesson in the lab will be an introduction to all the tools and techniques to use them safely. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ONE LESSON if no other.
Golden rule #1 Always treat the tools and materials with respect. If they CAN get hot or sharp, or damaging in any way, ALWAYS treat them as if they might be so at all times.
Golden rule #2 This is a working lab with TOOLS that are not TOYS. Do not play with them! Of all the places in the school, this is actually one area where horseplay can literally hurt you or your friends and is simply not tolerated.
2. Fellowship
The people that are most successful in discovering and building cool things are the ones that learn how to best work productively with other people. Learn from each other and support each other in the learning and discovery process. A little bit of extra thought and consideration in how you can each contribute to building a supportive community will go a long way.
Golden Rule #3 Exploratorium Tools and Equipment Must Stay in the Exploratorium. Everyone has a right to use the tools, and that right cannot be exercised if anyone steals a tool. If we want to keep the Exploratorium open, we all need to keep the tools here and in good shape. Professional grade tools are expensive and unlikely to be replaced easily. If the tools vanish, so too will our lab. Free and open access to tools and instruments of this quality is a powerful privilege that will vanish if we fail to protect it.
Golden Rule #4 Keep the Common Experimental Areas Neat and Clean. Research and engineering labs can often tend towards organizational chaos in the throes of invention and discovery, particularly when they are shared. Everyone must clean up after themselves EVERY TIME they use the lab, so plan your time and experiments accordingly. Leave the areas and tools you use either as neat as, or neater than, you found them.
Golden Rule #5 Keep parts and materials freely available, and don’t horde them. One of the great annoyances that arise in trying to build something is to discover that a part you might need is not available. The Exploratorium staff will do its best to ensure that the stock of parts is up to-date, and that we do everything we can to order any unusual parts individuals might request. Only take the parts you really need for your work in this lab, and return unused materials to the organized storage and parts bins. If parts start wandering outside the lab and into private or outside projects, we will have to lock and supervise the parts cabinet, and that will only slow everyone down and cause general frustration.
Golden Rule #6 Contribute to the Exploratorium and its community. Each of you can make a huge difference in how this lab grows and evolves. Do you have otherwise unused parts or tools that you can contribute? Do you know how to use a tool that someone else is struggling with? Do you have an old walkman, CD player or iPod that doesn’t work anymore? Do you have an idea for a cool project or piece of equipment that could make the lab more capable? Bring it on!
3. Intellectual & Creative Freedom
As our society becomes ever more technological and complex, there is a burgeoning need for real creativity and unique and novel solutions to problems with no obvious answers. The question of the day is then, how can we train 21st century leaders (that’s you students, by the way) to be truly creative to the point where they (you) can solve this century’s challenges. One of the most powerful methods is to help you build a community that fosters collaborative creativity and innovation.
True creativity and innovation has rarely sprung forth in a vacuum from isolated genius. Many of history’s greatest ideas started as half-baked conjectures or even hare-brained guesses. It was through discussion and debate and prolonged refinement from many contributors that great human endeavors have advanced. Collaboration and cooperation has been absolutely fundamental to social and technical advance. Learn how to do it productively.
It is often very easy to criticize. While more difficult, supportive and positive brainstorming is MUCH more effective. New ideas, hopes, and dreams, especially in their earliest moments, are fragile things easily killed by a careless word or criticism. Instead of saying something like, “That’s a stupid idea because….,” or “That will never work because you obviously didn’t think of…” or “There is no such thing as a stupid idea, only stupid people…” consider what you might say to refine or improve an idea in a supportive way. Yes, it is much easier to destroy than build. Be a builder.
Golden Rule #7 No Squashing ideas. Instead, help brainstorm around how to improve them.
Golden Rule #8 Keep a record for other innovators, posterity, and your college applications. Every good scientist or engineer keeps a lab book where they can record data, scribble crazy ideas and diagrams and refer to years after the original thought. Whether you do so electronically via a blog (my preferred open-access alternative these days), or on an old-school paper notebook is up to you, but some form of lab book is required. If you don’t want to have to lug it around, you can store it in the lab. You will thank WISE when you win your Nobel or McArthur prizes as they will be worth real money.
4. Your Contract
By signing this document (which you must do to gain access to the lab), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and internalized the rules and philosophies described in this document, and that you will abide by them. Here is a condensed list for your review right next to your signature.
Golden Rule #1 Always treat the tools and materials with respect.
Golden Rule #2 This is a working lab with TOOLS that are not TOYS. Do not play with them!
Golden Rule #3 Exploratorium Tools and Equipment Must Stay in the Exploratorium.
Golden Rule #4 Keep the Common Experimental Areas Neat and Clean.
Golden Rule #5 Keep parts and materials freely available, and don’t horde them.
Golden Rule #6 Contribute to the Exploratorium and its community.
Golden Rule #7 No Squashing ideas. Instead, help brainstorm around how to improve them.
Golden Rule #8 Keep a record for other innovators, posterity, and your college applications.
Further, you acknowledge that you have attended and understood and internalized the Exploratorium safety class lessons. Lastly, you also understand that by failing to abide by any of these rules, or any other common-sense practices that ensure the safety and productivity of the lab, that you will lose your access rights to the Exploratorium, and may be referred to the Honor Counsel or other school disciplinary bodies as appropriate.
Robotic Insect Starter Projects
Hi all, welcome to the lab. Here are a few projects designed to get you started using the WISE Exploratorium tools while you build up a small robot army from raw electronics parts.
Project #1: Blinky-Bugs
The first project is a quick one to build a Blinky-bug using a small battery and a couple of Light Emitting Diodes. This one will get you started in using a few small hand tools and a soldering iron, and give you some ideas on how to use material properties like flexibility in conducting wires to build motion or touch sensors.
Project #2: Nocturnal Solar-Charged Insects (Pummers)
Project #3: Solar Vibrobots
Also, please feel strongly encouraged to post questions, ideas, useful links and so on in the comments!
Project #1: Blinky-Bugs
The first project is a quick one to build a Blinky-bug using a small battery and a couple of Light Emitting Diodes. This one will get you started in using a few small hand tools and a soldering iron, and give you some ideas on how to use material properties like flexibility in conducting wires to build motion or touch sensors.
Here is one step-by-step online tutorial that shows you how to build one species of electronic bug. But once you understand how a Blinky-bug works, don't feel in any way constrained by this particular design. Here are a few nice images of some other creative designs from Ken Murphy, but even then, don't just imitate. Create. Browse the web for some real insect images to model. Create entirely alien ones! Innovate!
This project introduces the transistor electronic switch with solar energy storage and discharge to drive various circuits starting with flashing LEDs, all in order to make robotic insects that collect and store energy when lit, and either flash or move when it is dark.
Here is a link to a wide variety of different nocturnal solar engine circuits to experiment with.
Here is a link to a wide variety of different nocturnal solar engine circuits to experiment with.
Project #3: Solar Vibrobots
This project introduces a variation of the solar engine from the last project that stores energy until it is full, and then turns on either a motor or some other load like a flashing LED until it is depleted, to then switch back into it's charging mode. The notions around the automatic solar charging and storage circuits are very powerful, and form the foundation of many hybrid and other green technologies.
Here is a link to electronic designs for a wide variety of solar engines, and here is a link to a very nice online step-by-step tutorial by Zach DeBord with some nice inspirational designs.
If you run out of things to do..come find me and let's brainstorm some project ideas.Here is a link to electronic designs for a wide variety of solar engines, and here is a link to a very nice online step-by-step tutorial by Zach DeBord with some nice inspirational designs.
Also, please feel strongly encouraged to post questions, ideas, useful links and so on in the comments!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
WISE Exploratorium Re-opens for Business
We just re-opened the new Exploratorium lab here at Westminster, and are now in the process of outfitting the beginnings of our working lab for students and faculty. The tables and equipment are being installed as I post this message, and we should be taking in students by this Friday.
Welcome!
Hi all, and welcome to the Westminster Institute for Science Education, where we, and our students, expect to be posting all sorts of interesting projects and articles on current science, math, and technology topics.
Send us your comments and thoughts about how similar projects and facilities are working in your schools and classrooms!
Send us your comments and thoughts about how similar projects and facilities are working in your schools and classrooms!
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