Non-Isotropic Oscillator

A puck on an air table acts as a non-isotropic oscillator, tracing out a Lissajous figure with a 2:3 ratio.

 For more on the theory behind this demo, and to see others like it, please visit us at http://www.ap.smu.ca/demos

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 47.Tunnel Through Earth

Paul considers a tunnel bored through Earth and your motion if you were to fall into it.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

Weighted Hacksaw Blade

A hacksaw blade has a weight attached to each end. The center of the blade is tightly held in a vise. The two halves of the blade then behave like coupled oscillators.

See other MIT physics demos

Inverted Pendulum

A physical pendulum finds stability in its inverted position when driven at the proper frequency and amplitude combination.

The physical pendulum seen here is mounted on a ball-bearing pivot and can rotate 360 degrees; the pivot is driven at about 50 Hz with an amplitude of about 1 cm (3/4" per stroke) by a Sears Craftsman Auto Scroller Saw (model 315.172090); the length is 45 cm and the center of mass is slightly above 15 cm from the pivot; the rotational inertia is roughly 4x10^(-4) kg*m^2; the mass is about 100 grams.

For more details and references for further study see: http://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k16940&pa... 

 Shot in 24 and 300 fps. Thanks to Rob, Fu, and Daniel for their help.

    

Tuning Forks: Resonance & Beat Frequency

Two identical tuning forks and sounding boxes are placed next to one another. Striking one tuning fork will cause the other to resonate at the same frequency. When a weight is attached to one tuning fork, they are no longer identical. Thus, one will not cause the other to resonate. When two different tuning forks are struck at the same time, the interference of their pitches produces beats.

See other MIT physics demos

Science off the Sphere: Spring Theory

How do you measure mass in a weightless environment? NASA Astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates as part of a collaboration between NASA and the American Physical Society.

Other Science off the Sphere videos

The Pendulum and Galileo

Galileo's investigation of the pendulum played a role in the evolution of science. He performed some of the first experiments while discovering the relationship among length, mass and displacement. If you are teaching the scientific method, the pendulum is a good project to start with. Galileo probably gained insight into many issues around motion from his investigation of the pendulum. The video also mentions issues with the church and academia.

 

A ping pong ball collides with a water balloon

A water-filled ping pong ball collides with a water balloon at approximately 25 m/s. The inelastic collision dramatically deforms the water balloon. The ping pong ball weighs 0.033 kg and is propelled by a Toro leaf blower; the water balloon is 3.36 kg and is suspended by a single string. The airflow from the leaf blower acts to slow down the rebound of the ball. Shot in 600 fps. Special thanks to Rob for letting us use the camera and setup.

Other Harvard demonstrations

How a quartz watch works

The amazing everyday wristwatch: We never think about it, but only because engineers have made it so reliable and durable that we don't need to. At its heart lies a tiny tuning fork made of the mineral quartz. In this video Bill takes apart a cheap watch and shows extreme close-ups of the actually tunings fork. He explains how the piezoelectric effect of quartz lies at the heart of the watch's operation.

Other "Engineer Guy" videos

Lec 1 | MIT 8.03 Vibrations and Waves, Fall 2004

With Walter Lewin.

Periodic Phenomena (Oscillations, Waves) - SHO - Complex Notation - Differential Equations - Physical Pendulum.

 

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 31

MIT Physics Course

Professor Walter Lewin

8.01 Physics  I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

Forced Oscillations - Normal Modes - Resonance - Natural Frequencies - Musical Instruments

See other videos in this series.

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 30

MIT Physics Course

Professor Walter Lewin

8.01 Physics  I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

Simple Harmonic Oscillations, physical pendulum, liquid in a U-tube, torsional pendulum.

See other videos in this series.

Simple harmonic motion and uniform circular motion

Simple harmonic motion (at left) is a projection of the uniform circular motion (at right).

Other animations by Yves Pelletier

Synchronization of Metronomes

Five metronomes are set to 176 bpm and placed on a Foam Core board. When empty cans are placed underneath, the board is free to move from side to side and the metronomes are able to influence each other into synchronization. When the cans are removed the metronomes are no longer physically coupled and some of them begin to fall out of step.

Other Harvard demonstrations

IBPH Episode #8 - Simple Harmonic Motion (Part 2)

This is the second video on "Simple Harmonic Motion" (SHM)
Topics covered in this episode: (a) The period of a gravitational pendulum (b) Using a gravitational pendulum to determine the acceleration due to gravity, g, (c) Measuring mass using harmonic oscillators, (d) Energy in SHM, (e) Connection between SHM and uniform circular motion.

Source:  Horatiu Pop

Other videos by Horatiu Pop

IBPH Episode #7 - Simple Harmonic Motion (Part 1)

Simple harmonic motion (SHM) is a type of periodic motion for which the force that drives it is proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium position. What is the equation that describes this type of motion? The answer and more in this video.

Source:  Horatiu Pop

Other videos by Horatiu Pop


IBPH Episode #7 - Simple Harmonic Motion (Part 1) from Horatiu Pop on Vimeo.

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 13

MIT Physics Course

Professor Walter Lewin

8.01 Physics  I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

Potential energy and simple harmonic motion.

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Block and spring system

Hooke's Law: force exerted by a spring

Hooke's law: the magnitude of the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the distance the spring has moved from equilibrium.




Conservation of energy

The block slides on a horizontal frictionless surface. K is kinetic energy. U is elastic potential energy and E is total mechanical energy. While potential energy is converted to kinetic energy (and vice versa), total mechanical energy remains constant.



Other animations by Yves Pelletier

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 10

Force exerted by a spring (Hooke's Law), period of a frictionless mass-spring system, simple harmonic motion, simple pendulum (small angle approximation).  Includes several experimental demonstrations.

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Coupled pendulums

Two pendulums attached to the same horizontal string transfer their motion back and forth.