2022 Demo Night

The UNM Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted its Spring Lecture Demonstration Show on Wednesday, March 30, from 7-8 p.m., in Regener Hall Auditorium (Room 103). The event was free and open to the general public. Local high school teachers and students were especially encouraged to attend.

The show featured live physics demonstrations put on by members of UNM's Society of Physics Students and faculty, illustrating basic physics principles in mechanics, optics, and electricity and magnetism. Demonstrations included the giant Newton's Cradle, Bernoulli's Principle, a Human Gyroscope, the Rocket Car, Optical Fibers, Laser Interference, the Tesla Coil and Implosion.

01 An audience member volunteers to try the giant Newton's cradle 02 The audience is fascinated by the giant Newton's cradle 03 Demonstrating the conservation of momentum and energy 04 Demonstrating thrust with a skateboard and basketball 05 Demonstrating thrust with a skateboard and basketball 06 Demonstrating thrust with a skateboard and basketball 07 Demonstrating thrust with a skateboard and basketball 08 Demonstrating Newton's Third Law with the Rocket Car 09 The rocket car is a large flatbed cart with CO2 tank propellants 10 Prepping the rocket car 11 Soliciting audience participation 12 An enthusiastic audience 13 Ear protection is necessary with the rocket car demo 14 For every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction 15 In between demonstrations 16 Getting ready for the next demo 17 Dr. Taylor lends a hand 18 Prepping gyroscopes 19 Demonstrating the gas gyroscope 20 The wire jumping demonstration 2119 Demonstrating the gas gyroscope 2219 Demonstrating the gas gyroscope 23 Demonstrating the direction of angular momentum 24 A bicycle wheel spins upright from one end of the axle as it is suspended on a rope 25 Demonstrating angular momentum 26 Demonstrating angular momentum 27 Demonstrating angular momentum with the spinning chair 28 Demonstrating angular momentum 29 Demonstrating angular momentum 30 Demonstrating filters 31 Demonstrating filters 32 When a long wire is moved between the poles of a large permanent magnet, an emf is generated. The resulting current in the wire is detected with the galvanometer 33 Turning on a lightbulb with electricity generated with a hand crank 34 Audience members help with the jumping rings demo 35 The Meissner Effect in which a magnet levitates above a chilled superconducting disc 36 Pouring liquid nitrogen over the superconducting disc 37 Because the disc and magnet is so small, we set up a camera to project the image so the audience can see it 38 The levitating cube demo 39 Audience members try to pull apart metal plates held together by atmospheric pressure 40 Demonstrating how air pressure, or lack thereof, can affect objects 41 The Magdeburg plates demo is one of the most entertaining 42 Rolling out the oil drums for the atmospheric pressure demo 43 Fill a can with boiling water and cap tightly then watch as the can collapses as the water cools