Middle School (ages 11-13) & General Public

Density Column

This surprising demonstration illustrates the relationship between densities and buoyant forces.

This demonstration provides a visual for how the diversity of matter affects interactions between different materials. The participants will be able to view a visually striking, easy-to-assemble display of various solids and liquids that tend to separate from one another due to their densities. The demonstration goes on to explain how this relates to the different states of matter, and makes a mention of the buoyant forces responsible for making objects float.

Light Fountain

This demonstration shows how light changes paths when travelling through different materials. Snell’s Law and the critical angle are explored using lasers and water. 

Eclipses: Earth-Moon-Sun Model

This demonstration uses a model of the earth-moon-sun system to explain why eclipses occur. This demo is useful for illustrating why total solar eclipses are rare. 

Composition of the Universe

This demonstration briefly explains the history of the universe using jars and colored beads. The jars represent matter/objects and the beads represent the composition of those objects.

Hair Diffraction

Participants use a hair to show how light can interfere to produce a diffraction pattern.     

Fabric of the Universe

Explore forces in a gravitational field using a spandex sheet and marbles.

This demonstration shows how gravity can be interpreted as the bending of spacetime due to massive bodies. Participants can identify gravity interactions, observe how the shape of the spandex corresponds to mathematical models, and make inferences based on object size, shape, and mass.

After completing this demonstration, present Part 2 to explore solar system formation, tides, and planetary rings. 

Pinhole Projector

Construct a pinhole projector to introduce participants to the basic properties of light. This tool can then be used to view eclipses or other bright sources.

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