Workshop Details
September 30, 2000 The Physics of a Lead Balloon!
- Measuring
- Graphing
- Interpreting Graphs
- Mass
- Volume
- Density
- Inquiry Methods

For next time:
- What happens to a floating candle when it burns?
- Suggestions, questions about this workshop.

Make-and-Takes:
1. Cartesian Divers
Pipets: 500 for $20 from ScienceKit, 800-828-7777. Nuts, #4.
2. Bubble diver (for those who RSVP'd 1 week in advance), about a dollar apiece: Oriental Trading Co., 1-800-228-0475.
3. Floating Candle, 10 for $1.00: DollarTree Stores. See web site to find closest store.
Bring with you:
- Empty plastic bottle with cap.
- Your lunch.
October 28
Astronomy
- Moon Phases
- Altitude and Azimuth
- Seasons
- Apparent & Actual Motions
- Finding N
- Solar System & ExtraSolar Planets
etc!
Makes and Takes:
1. Star-finder
2. Altitude and Azimuth tools
3. Skygazer's Almanac 2001, $2.25, or $1.13 each for 10.
- Bring:
- Your lunch
- Articles about recent astronomy news.
- Keep a record of moon observations from now until the workshop.
November 18 Cosmology
- Spectra
- Hubble's Law
- Size and Age of Universe
- Student web projects
etc!
Makes and Takes
1. Spectrometer* ($55 for 10)
2. Sun-tracker Globe* ($19 for 10)
3. Holographic Grating* ($38 for 6 ft.)
* Learning Technologies, Inc.

Answer Keys to worksheets are in pdf files; you need Acrobat Reader. Free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Moon Worksheet
Horizon System, p.1
Horizon System, p.2
Hubble worksheet, p.1
Hubble worksheet, p.2

Bring:
- Your lunch
- Handouts and questions from last time.
January 20, 2001 Introduction to Optics Makes and Takes
- Point source lights ($.02/each): Xmas lights on sale.
- Refraction cubes ($1.34 ea.), prism tray ($1.50 + cement), mirror ($.50 ea.): Tap Plastics .
- Lenses (10 for $3.50), cell-holder (4 for $2): American Science Surplus.
Bring:
- Your lunch
- Objects that act as lens or mirror.
- (Snacks: Cathy, Lee, Dahlia, Eleanor)
February 24 Lenses, Refraction, Mirrors Sources/Instructions
- Inquiry-based lessons for Lenses, Refraction, Mirrors.


- Curved mirrors. Plastic mirrors from Tap Plastic stores. See instructions.
- Pinhole viewer. See instructions.
- Laser pointers from Harbor Freight, ($6-7 each).
- Laser activities booklet from Metrologic.
- Scintillating fibers, (10 for $5) from Arbor Scientific.
- Mike's optic equipment from PASCO. Optics bench, light, 2 lenses, ray optics (flat lenses, mirrors, etc)($288 each).
- Cheaper optics equipment can be accumulated with lenses from American Science Surplus. (See lenses you got Jan. 20.)
- Cheap ray box can be made from Baskin Robbins ice cream box. See instructions.
- Total internal reflection Jello: Use clear gelatin and 1/4 as much water as package says.

Bring:
- Your lunch
- 2 lenses from last time (if you came).
- object that acts as a mirror, but isn't.
- your questions since last time.
March 17 Physics Toys

- The physics of toys with lenses, mirrors, refraction, "magic".
- The physics of toys with magnets.

- Toys as introduction to topic, labs, assessment, motivation.
- Using white boards to suggest investigations and to report to group.

Make-and-Takes
- "White Boards":
shower wallboard, 4'x8' for $30, which makes 12 24"x16" boards for $2.50 each. Drill finger holes or holes for rope hanger.
Home Depot

- Rotating Periscope:
See instructions.
PVC pipe and plastic mirrors, about $5.
TAP Plastics

- Floating Magnets:
Place 3-5 donut magnets on a pencil stuck into clay. Or, glue a dowel in a hole in a block of wood.

- Kaleidoscope:
See instructions.
Use plastic film canisters and microscope slide for a cheap kaleidoscope.

Sources: (The lower listed price is for bulk quantities.)

- PTRA Physics of Toys book, $30.00
American Association of Physics Teachers, 301-209-3300

- Magic Bank, $2.00
- UV Beads, $8.95/240
Sheridan, 800-433-6259

- Magnetic Wheelie, $20.80/12
- Fly Eye Viewer, $3.95/12
Oriental Trading, 800-228-2269

- Spectra Glasses, $0.40-$0.50
- Ocean on Desk, $3.25-$5.00
Rainbow Symphony, 800-821-5122

- Holographic Glasses, $1.25-$2.00
American Paper Optics, 800-767-8427

- Magnetic Marbles, $8.00/100
- Magnetic Sheets, $4/3 sheets
- Donut Magnets, $17.50/100
Dowling Magnets, 800-MAGNET1

Bring
- your lunch
- toys related to optics or magnets

Workshop Schedule

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