The Department of Physics at MIT pushes back the frontiers of human understanding of space and time and of matter and energy in all its forms, from the subatomic to the cosmological and from the elementary to the complex.
Two speakers, mounted on the table and facing each other, are driven by a function generator. A microphone is introduced between the speakers and the sound waves are displayed on an oscilloscope. This demonstrates the effect of interference and the resulting phase shift on sound waves over a ...
Three aluminium objects are dropped through a magnetic field. The objects move slower entering and leaving the field due to changes in the flux through the object. The change in the flux through a conductor results in a force which opposes additional flux change. As a result the force opposes ...
A Mylar balloon is held near a charged Van de Graaff generator. The balloon is moved radially away from the sphere and its deflection from the vertical is observed to decrease with distance. The same procedure is done with a conducting "infinite" plane. When the balloon is moved outwards from ...
A conducting sphere is charged with a Wimshurst Machine. Charge is removed from the outside of the sphere and placed on an electroscope, which deflects outwards. When the procedure is done for the inside of the sphere, it is found that no charge resides there. ...
Professor of Physics Emeritus Walter Lewin performing his most famous physics demonstrations on the occasion of the publication of his new book, FOR THE LOVE OF PHYSICS: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge Of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders
Five steel balls of different sizes are dropped into corn syrup. The balls reach a constant velocity shortly after entering the fluid. The velocity is constrained due to the drag balancing the force of gravity in the fluid. This demonstrates the relationship between the size of the ball and ...
Dr. Kirill Korolev, 2010-2013 Pappalardo Fellow (Soft Condensed Matter Theory & Biophysics) The evolution of natural populations involves more than mutations followed by natural selection--the reshuffling of genes during genetic recombination, stochasticity, and ...
Dr. Mustafa Amin, 2008-2011 Pappalardo Fellow (Theoretical Astrophysics) Inflation, a period of accelerated expansion in the very early Universe, provides an elegant explanation for the observed spatial flatness of our universe. It also provides a robust mechanismfor generating the observed ...
Dr. Fa Wang, 2009-2012 Pappalardo Fellow (Hard Condensed Matter Theory)In superconductors, electrons form pairs that can transport electricity without dissipation. This pairing requires attraction between electrons while the fundamental interaction between them is ...
Dr. Lu Li, 2008-2011 Pappalardo Fellow (Condensed Matter Experiment)Like silicon in computer chips, interfaces between complex oxides are potential candidates for new functional electronics. Some interfaces between insulating oxides are conductive, and even ...
Dr. James Battat, 2008-2011 Pappalardo Fellow (Dark Matter & Neutrino Physics)The Standard Model of particle physics cannot account for 80% of the matter in the Universe. This mystery looms large over physics, and has stimulated an international program to identify dark matter. In traditional ...
Prof. Jocelyn Monroe, Assistant Professor of Physics, MIT; 2006-2009 Pappalardo Fellow
Three segments of the Bell Labs Wave Machine are connected together. The points at which they are connected have the same impedance. Therefore, traveling waves will not be reflected at these boundaries. One can also observe the change in wavelength and velocity as ...
Two segments of the Bell Labs apparatus are connected. The segments have different impedance. When a pulse travels from high impedance to low impedance, it is reflected with positive polarity and transmitted with positive polarity. When a pulse travels from low ...
Standing waves are created on the Bell Labs apparatus. The apparatus is "open" at both ends, therefore the number of nodes is equal to the number of overtones. For example, the fourth harmonic will have four nodes, the fifth harmonic will have five nodes, etc.
A single pulse creates two waves of one-half amplitude. When the waves pass each other they add constructively to create the original pulse.
Pulses are created on the Bell Labs apparatus and reflections from the opposite end are observed. Initially, the ends of the apparatus are left open and the reflections have positive polarity. When one end is fixed, reflections have negative polarity.
A beaker is placed on top of a cloth, on top of a stool. The cloth is pulled quickly from underneath the beaker, while the beaker remains stationary. The impulse of the net force is made very small by reducing the time over which the cloth acts on the beaker. In other words, the force of the ...
A ball rolls down an inclined track and around a vertical circle. All of the ball's initial potential energy is converted into three forms of energy when it reaches the top of the loop: potential energy corresponding to the height of the loop, kinetic energy corresponding to the ball's ...
A can is placed on top of a metal sheet on a stool. A broom hits the sheet causing it to fly from underneath the can, while the can remains stationary. The impulse of the net force is made very small by reducing the time over which the metal sheet acts on the can. In other words, the force of ...