Elementary (ages 5-10)

Chladni Plates - Speaker

Build a simple Chladni plate using a 6" x 6" metal sheet, a 2 watt speaker, powered with a 20 gain amplifier and phone. Sprinkle sand on the sheet, and play various sound frequencies to reveal the sheet's assortment of resonant vibrational modes. 

Along with the plate demo itself, an amplifier can be made fairly easily with an LM386 op amp. Download instructions for making the amplifier under associated files or can be found here. 

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

Explore the properties of liquid nitrogen while making a tasty treat. This demo is great for chapter socials and smaller outreach events.

Tuning Fork Workshop

Tuning forks are one of the few instruments that resonate with one distinct frequency. Create a workshop with tuning forks with this variety of quick, fun demos ranging from visualizing sound with lasers, to watching energy transfer through pendulums.

Egg Crush

This demonstration dramatically shows how not just the strength of a material, but how it is designed, is important when withstanding forces.

Impulse on Eggs

Participants learn about impulse by building vehicles to drop eggs in. 

Variable Index of Refraction

A sugar-water solution is used to create a liquid with a variable index of refraction. Participants learn about solutions, gradients, and refraction.

Borate Glass

Students learn about glass, how glass is formed, and under what conditions that can occur.

Straw Oboe

By constructing a simple straw “oboe,” participants learn about sound waves and closed pipe resonance. 

Marshmallows & the Speed of Light

This workshop uses marshmallows to teach participants about waves and to calculate the speed of light. 

Ferrofluids

This demonstration provides a three-dimensional visualization of magnetic field lines using ferrofluid.

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