Projects
Each year Physics Club likes to work on a Project for the Physics Department to help promote interest in physics. In the past we have worked on a new display case for the Physics Department.
Past Projects
During the 2006-07 academic year, Physics Club worked on a tornado display case. It is currently on display next to the labs on the second floor of the Science Center.
How It Works
The tornado display uses a fan to draw water vapor up from the base of the display to the top. There are four precisely placed pipes at each corner of the display. Smalls holes are drilled in the pipes, and air is pumped through the pipes. The air is then blown at the water vapor in four directions creating a spinning motion, thus simulating a tornado.
Starting in the 2009-2010 academic year, Physics Club worked with K2CC to launch a weather balloon with a camera to take pictures from the air. The ballon ascended high enough to show the curvature of the Earth.
Curent Projects
A ferrofluid is a liquid with iron suspended inside it. Because iron is suspended within the liquid, the liquid has some interesting properties, including magnetism. If one brings a magnet close to the liquid you can see spikes form in the liquid. This the iron trying to fit the magnetic field lines of the magnet. Some amazing effects can be produced using this phenomena (see link). During the 2008-2009 academic year, we tried several experiments try to produce an interesting display using the ferrofluds. During the 2009-2010 academic year, we plan to continue and hopefully complete some project based on this unique material.
