Re: [Phys-l] Small, Inexpensive Physics Toys?

[mrmeyer@mtu.edu]

Mark -

Here's a suggestion that's a little work, but very cool and very cheap. 
Find clear 20 oz plastic bottles  with caps (pop bottles work better than
water bottles) and remove the labels.  (That's easy here in Michigan since
we all save bottles for deposit.)  Use some modelling clay to seal the top
of a pen cap (if necessary) and put a small ball of clay on the "pocket
clip" extension.  (We buy cheap pens for the department in bulk and steal
the caps.) Use just enough clay so that the pen cap floats upright when
placed in water.  Now fill the bottle to the brim with water, put the
modified pen cap in, and cap tightly.

You've just made a Cartesian Diver that kids can take home cheaply and can
play with for hours.  We actually have the kids make their own, and do
several accompanying demos that help explain how it works.  (For example -
put a kleenex in the bottom of an inverted cup, submerge it, and note that
the kleenex comes out dry.  Or shake/invert the diver, and note that he
sinks permanently....then show them how to "fix" it by pulling out the cap
and reintroducing the air bubble.)

Hope this helps. Good luck with your open house!

Mike Meyer
Lecturer and Lab/Demo Coordinator
Michigan Tech Univ.
mrmeyer@mtu.edu


> We are preparing for an open house and are looking for good ideas for
> small 'prizes' to give to elementary or middle school aged kids. I'm
> aware of the $3-4 bracket of things I can get at Arbor Scientific or
> Educational Innovations (Energy Balls, Diffraction gratings, Dropper
> Poppers, etc...), and I have the okay to pepper the pot with some of
> these, but we were also looking for something more in the $1 (or
> slightly less), since we aren't certain how many kids to expect.
>
> We are aware of the Oriental Trading Company. The challenge with this is
> to have something physics-oriented. We can purchase the slinkies or
> gliders. Do people have other suggestions or vendors or specific little
> 'prizes' that would be appropriate for this situation?
>
> I'd also be interested in suggestions in the $1-3 range.
>
> Thanks!
> Mark Lucas
>
>
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