The Wonders of Physics

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The Wonders of Physics

• Prof. Clint Sprott
• Department of Physics
• University of Wisconsin - Madison
• Presented at
• Central South University
• in Changsha, China
• on March 7, 2011

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General Physics Course

• 600 students, 2 semesters
• Two 1-hour lectures / week (each lecture given
  twice) mostly passive, some active
• Two 1-hour discussions (20 students) led by
  graduate teaching assistants
• One 2-hour lab each week
• Weekly homework problems submitted by the Web
• Three hour-long, multiple-choice exams a final
  exam

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Problems with AmericanScience Education

• Only a minority of students take physics to meet
  a requirement
• Physics is an unpopular course (difficult,
  abstract, irrevelant)
• Subject is usually taught in an uninteresting,
  unexciting way
• Learning if often superficial
• Physical science has fallen out of favor in the
  USA
• Good students go into biological sciences,
  medicine, business

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Outline

• The Need
• The Approach
• The History
• The Presentation
• Spinoffs

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The Need

• Over 200 studies document scientific illiteracy.
• Scientific illiteracy hurts Nation and
  individuals.
• Teachers are uncomfortable teaching science.
• Science has fallen out of favor.
• We have a public-relations problem.

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Objective of The Wonders of Physics

• To generate interest in physics and encourage
  children to consider careers in science.

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History of WoP

• Fast-paced demonstration show covering all areas
  of classical physics
• Began in 1984, 230 public campus presentations,
  70,000 people
• Began in 1988, gt1000 traveling shows, 200,000
  people mostly in Wisconsin but throughout the USA
• 27 hours of videotapes 1000 distributed (25 ea)
• Teacher workshops
• Web sites (2) - http//sprott.info/wop.htm
  (gt500,000 accesses)
• Lecture Kit (NSF funded) 500 distributed (90
  ea)

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Philosophy of WoP

• Make entertaining presentations to audiences that
  would not normally be motivated to attend a
  lecture on physics.

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The Approach of WoP

• Dramatic demonstrations, fast-paced, minimal
  explanations
• Entertain first, education second
• Encourage interaction and curiosity
• Emphasize phenomena, not facts
• Appeal to a cross-section of ages, education, and
  interests

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The History of WoP

• 28 years, 230 presentations, gt60,000 people
• 10 scheduled shows per year special
  presentations
• Capacity crowds (300 people) at every show
• Over 200 demos (20-30 in a typical show)

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The Presentation

• Scheduling and publicity
• Tickets / ushers / handouts
• Costume
• Entrance
• Audience participation
• Special guests
• Live or recorded music
• Videotaping
• Exit
• Laboratory tours

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Topics

• Motion
• Heat
• Sound
• Electricity
• Magnetism
• Light
• Modern Physics

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Sample Themes

• Chaos and Randomness
• Physics of the Weather
• Physics of the Body
• Physics of Energy
• Physics of Flying
• Physics of Transportation
• States of Matter
• Physics of Water
• Physics of the Cosmos
• Physics of Sports
• Physics of the Arts

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Spinoffs

• Traveling shows (gt1000)
• Videotapes (27 hours)
• Computer software
• Demonstration book
• Written handouts
• Lecture kit
• Integration bee
• Teachers workshops
• Radio and TV interviews
• Web site

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Traveling Show

• Over 1000 shows in 20 yrs
• Mostly precollege schools
• Full-time person (supported by US National
  Science Foundation Department of Energy)
• Donations (100-400) requested per show
• Some corporate donors

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Physics Demonstrations Book

• 300-page full color book containing 85
  demonstrations used in The Wonders of Physics
  published by UW Press in 2006
• Book contains 2 DVDs with 3 hours of
  demonstrations before a live audience.

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Integration Bee
Grand Integrator of Madison 2005
Madison--February 8 Aarti Singh defeated 13
competitors in the final round of the 2nd annual
UW Integration Bee, a live-action calculus
competition that took place tonight in the
Physics Department in Sterling Hall. Singh, a
student in the College of Engineering, suffered
an early defeat in the double-elimination
competition, but held on to win by defeating
Mathematics student Steve Griffeth in
back-to-back integrals in the championship match.
The Integration Bee was sponsored by the Wonders
of Physics outreach program.
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New Initiatives

• Additional plasma demonstrations
• Workshops for teachers
• Lesson plans for teachers
• Minorities impoverished areas
• Expanded Web presence
• Graduate student / postdoc training
• Exportation to other institutions
• Assessment of results

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References

• http//sprott.physics.wisc.edu/lectures/woptalk.ht
  m
• http//sprott.physics.wisc.edu/wop.htm
• sprott_at_physics.wisc.edu