A Baffling Balloon Behavior - Smarter Every Day 113

Helium balloon in an accelerating car.

 

The Dynamics of an Elevator Ride

We go for a short ride in the elevator and record the acceleration for display.

 

Free falling in outer space - Matt J. Carlson

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/free-falling-in-outer-space-matt-j-carlson 

If you were to orbit the Earth, you'd experience the feeling of free fall, not unlike what your stomach feels before a big dive on a roller coaster. With a little help from Sir Isaac Newton, Matt J. Carlson explains the basic forces acting on an astronaut and why you probably shouldn't try this one at home.

 Lesson by Matt J. Carlson, animation by Josh Harris.

 

Hero's Engine

This demonstration illustrates the earliest form of steam engine, as described by Hero of Alexandria around 150 B.C. A small amount of water is heated to produce steam, which accelerates out of small tubes. In turn, the steam creates thrust and the engine quickly spins up.

 

Finding the Center of Mass...achusetts

A cutout of Massachusetts is hung in several orientations and a line is drawn straight downwards. The lines intersect at the center of mass.

 

Feather and Coin in a Vacuum

The free fall of a coin and feather are compared, first in a tube full of air and then in a vacuum. With air resistance, the feathers fall more slowly. In a vacuum, the objects fall at the same rate independent of their respective masses.

 

Double Cone and Plane

A double cone is placed on the bars of an inclined plane. Instead of rolling down the plane the cone rolls up. Although the plane slants upward, the bars diverge so that the rotational axis of the cone, which passes through the center of mass, actually moves downward.

 

Spring Paradox

A mass hangs from two identical springs. First, the springs are attached in series by a short string between them. The springs are also connected in parallel by two peripheral strings that are initially slack. The center string is cut, changing the system from series to parallel. The mass does not move downwards, as one might have thought. Rather, the mass moves upwards because the spring constant of the system is increased.

 

Pulling a Cloth From Under a Beaker

A beaker is placed on top of a cloth, on top of a stool. The cloth is pulled quickly from underneath the beaker, while the beaker remains stationary. The impulse of the net force is made very small by reducing the time over which the cloth acts on the beaker. In other words, the force of the cloth does not act on the beaker long enough to accelerate it, so it does not move.

 

Plate Sliding Under a Soda Can

A can is placed on top of a metal sheet on a stool. A broom hits the sheet causing it to fly from underneath the can, while the can remains stationary. The impulse of the net force is made very small by reducing the time over which the metal sheet acts on the can. In other words, the force of the sheet does not act on the can long enough to accelerate it, so it does not move.

 

Free falling in outer space - Matt J. Carlson

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/free-falling-in-outer-space-matt-j-carlson

If you were to orbit the Earth, you'd experience the feeling of free fall, not unlike what your stomach feels before a big dive on a roller coaster. With a little help from Sir Isaac Newton, Matt J. Carlson explains the basic forces acting on an astronaut and why you probably shouldn't try this one at home.

 Lesson by Matt J. Carlson, animation by Josh Harris.

 

What on Earth is spin? - Brian Jones

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-on-earth-is-spin-brian-jones

Why does the Earth spin? Does a basketball falling from a spinning merry-go-round fall in a curve, as it appears to, or in a straight line? How can speed be manipulated while spinning? In short, why is the spinning motion so special? Brian Jones details the dizzyingly wide array of ways that spinning affects our lives.

 Lesson by Brian Jones, animation by Flaming Medusa Studios.

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 46. Gravity Inside Earth

An application of the gravitational equation to Earth's interior is treated.

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 44. Weightlessness

Phil Physiker contrasts mg with and without a support force.

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 42. Skateboard Torques

How does rotational physics explain how a skateboard is able to lift without external forces?

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 41.Torques on a Plank

Torques on horizontal planks, taking center of gravity into account, are examined.

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 40.Balanced Torques

We drop in on Paul's class as he discusses balanced metersticks and seesaws.

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 39.Torque

We drop in on Paul's class as he discusses the concept of torque.

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 38.Centrifugal Force

Paul talks about centrifugal force using bicycle tires, ants and other examples

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 37.Centripetal Force

Paul talks about centripetal force, banked curves and tangential velocity.

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