This demonstration is definitely an eye-catching crowd-pleaser. It is a great demonstration to show the interconnection between physics and chemistry, linking an example of light emission to evidence of chemical reactions. It is similar to a common example of bioluminescence, which occurs in fireflies, allowing them to “glow” in the dark.
Related Resources:
Teacher Demo: Double Ball Drop
Categories: Teacher Demonstration
A head on elastic collision between an object with mass M and an object with mass 3M traveling with equal speeds results in all the kinetic energy of the system being transferred to the smaller mass.... read more
Teacher Demo: Magnetic Braking
Categories: Teacher Demonstration
This very simple to perform demo can be made very memorable by ensuring the students see it as a discrepant event. Students are expecting to see a free fall but instead see a low terminal velocity... read more
Teacher Demo/Student Activity: Charging by Contact
Categories: Lab/Student Activity, Teacher Demonstration
In this demo, a polyethylene strip is charged by rubbing with wool. The charged strip is then used to charge a neutral object, a pith ball, by contact. This demo can be done as a student activity. read more