NANI Demo Booklet Ver 0.03 Jan 2015

Physics Demonstrations Anveshika
National Anveshika Network of India (NANI)

Version 0.03, January 1, 2015
c
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Our sincere gratitude to,

(a) Dr H C Verma, Coordinator, National Anveshika Network of India
(NANI). He is the driving force for Anveshika activities.
(b) Shiksha Sopan, IIT Kanpur
(c) Utsahi Physics Teachers, www.utsahiphysicsteachers.com
(d) Dr Ajay Mahajan, Dayanand Science College, Latur, Maharashtra
(e) Anveshika Coordinators and their team members:
Kanpur
SGM
Amit Kumar Bajpayi
Agra
Raman
R K Awasthi
Siwan
Siwan
Mr. Rajeev Ranjan
Kolkata
TAXXILA
Dr. Amit Kumar Jana
Lucknow
Mitra
Dr. R. K Mitra
Patna
Patna
Dr Amarendra Narayan
Oraiya
Go&go
Brajesh Dixit
Munger
VSS
Dr. K N Rai
Kolhapur
GCG
Dr S A Masti
Bhilkwadi
SSB
Dr Gajanan Patil
Pilibhit
Samadhan
Dr Laxmi Kant Sharma
Pilani
BPS
Mr Manoranjan K Singh
Hissar
OPJS
Lalit Mohan Singh
Delhi
BVN
Pragya Nopani
Udhampur
Happy
Mineesh
Vizianagram
Focus
Chandrasekhar Joga
Chandigarh
SGGSC
Dr M S Marwaha
Dhanbad
Vidya
Arvind Kumar Pathak
Hyderabad
ViBha
Jitender Singh
DISCLAIMER: Although most of the science activities presented here are regarded as low hazard, we disclaim all liability for any occurrence, including,
but not limited to, damage, injury or death which might arise as consequences
of the use of any experiment(s) listed or described here. Therefore, you assume
all the liability and use these science activities at your own risk!
Dedicated to those who appreciate Physics

and the work of Dr. H. C. Verma
Contents
Contents
iii
I Mechanics
Measure Speed of the Ant
Reaction Time
How Much is One Newton?
Pull the Paper under the Tumbler
Balancing the Nails
A drop of Water Makes Slides Stick Together
Get Going Mug
Action-Reaction forces in Newtons Third Law
10
Check Newtons Law for interaction between two Ring

Magnets
11
10 Resonance and Sound Waves
12
11 The Physics of Lever and Mechanical Advantage
13
12 Weightlessness with slinky
14
13 Which thread breaks first?
15
14 A Magical Coin
16
15 Lift a Weight by Moving another Weight in a Circle
17
16 Key-bottle experiment
18
17 Spring Potential Energy
19
18 Calibrating a Non-Linear Spring
20
Corrections/Suggestions to: jsinghdrdo@gmail.com
iii
iv
Contents
19 Linear Momentum of the Ball
21
20 Why Does it Goes Up?
22
21 Counter-intutive Centre of Mass with Bottle
23
22 Balancing the Scale on Fingers
24
23 To find Centre of Mass of a Rectangular Shape
25
24 To Find the Coefficient of Restitution
26
25 It is not Easy to Do Simple Movements!
27
26 Win a 100 Rs Note
28
27 Self Balancing Toy
29
28 Rolling and Kinetic Friction
30
29 Gyroscope from cycle wheel
31
30 To study the theorem of perpendicular axes in Moment

of Inertia
33
31 Paper Helicopter
34
32 Gyroscope Using Toy Motor
35
33 Coupled Pendulum
36
34 SHM Phase and Phase Difference
37
35
39
Resonance in pendulum by hand
36 To Study Torsional Oscillation of a Rectangular Body
40
37 Why Balloons come Closer?
41
38 Why the fluid does not comes out?
42
39 Suspending a Cup by a Balloon
43
40 Keep the Paper Dry in Water
44
41 Push Water in a pair of Connected Syringes
45
42 Blow Air in a Long Air Bag
46
Contents
43 To find the atmospheric pressure using a syringe and

weights
47
44 To measure the viscosity of water
48
45 Archimedes Principle
49
46 Effect of Soap on Surface Tension
50
47 Rise of Paper (Welcome) due to surface tension
51
48 Pressure in Two Balloons connected by transparent pipe 52

49 The Fun of Three Bottles
53
50 Rising of water due to centrifugal force!
54
51 To study the extension-load characteristics of bicycle

valve tube
55
52 To study torsional oscillations of a wire
56
II Waves
57
53 Vibrations, Rerefaction and Compression in a Long Spring! 59

54 Visualize Wave Motion
60
55 Compression and Rarefaction in Longitudinal Waves
61
56 Sound is Produced by Vibrations
62
57 Reflection of Sound
63
58 Visualize your Sound!
64
59 The Phenomenon of Beats!
65
60 The Optics of Waves on Water Surface
66
61 Interference with thread!
67
62 Diffraction of light from a thin wire!
68
63 Interference in Ripple Tank!
69
vi
Contents
IIIOptics
71
64 Multiple Images with Plane Mirrors
73
65 Scattering of Lights of Different Colours
74
66 Scattering of Light
75
67 Dispersion of Light by a Prism
76
68 Tracing the Ray of Light through a Prism?
77
69 Advantage of having Two Eyes?
78
70 Image formed by a Convex Lens
79
71 Reflection from Curved Surface
80
72 Focal Length of a Concave Mirror
81
73 Nature of the Image formed by a Concave Mirror
82
74 Rising of the Coin due to Refraction
83
75 Refraction through a Glass Slab
84
76 Trace the Path of a Ray through Glass Slab
85
77 Refraction Through a Glass of Water
86
78 Measuring the Focal Length of a Convex Lens
87
79 Total Internal Reflection in a Dettol Bottle
88
80 Focal Length of a Parabolic Reflector!
90
81 Laws of Reflection of Light!
91
82 To Deduce Refractive Index of a Glass Slab
92
83 To Visualize a Light Ray
93
84 To Find Focal Length of a Concave Lens
94
85 To Find Refractive Index of a Liquid
95
86 To study the variation of image position for object at

infinity with incident angle
96
Contents
vii
87 Where did the Coin come from?
97
88 Polarization of Light!
98
89 Variation of refractive index with wavelength
99
90 Variation of Intensity with Distance!
IVThermodynamics
100
101
91 Burning Candle in Limited Air
103
92 Why Does Water not Fall?
104
93 Own Thermometer
106
94 Saturated Salt Solution
107
95 Why does Water rise in Burning Candle Experiment?
108
96 Boyles law using a syringe and weights
110
97 Boil Water with Hands!
111
98 Cloud in a Bottle!
113
99 Measure dew point in your room
114
100 Coffee cup calorimetry
115
101 See Convection Current in Air
116
102 Conduction of Heat
117
103 Solar Heating
118
104 Boiling Water in Paper Cup
119
V Electromagnetism
121
105 The Rotating Straw
123
106 Bending of Water Stream due to Electrostatic Charges
125
107 Electrostatics of Hanging Balloons
126
108 Which Direction is Electric Field?
127
viii
Contents
109 Direction of electric field
128
110 Electric potential in a capacitor
129
111 Playing with capacitors made from kitchen Utensils
130
112 Charging and discharging capacitors
132
113 Verification of Ohms Law
134
114 Series Connection of Resistors
135
115 Parallel Connection of Resistors
136
116 Wheatstone bridge using electric bulbs!
137
117 Measure the Resistance of an Electric Bulb
138
118 Magnetic Line of Forces
139
119 Motion of Charged Particles in Magnetic Field
140
120 Magnetic Effect of Current
142
121 Magnetic Field due to a Straight Conductor
143
122 Making of an Electromagnet
144
123 Magical Swing
145
124 Attraction and Repulsion between Current Carrying Conductors!

146
125 Current detector
147
126 Poles of a Ring Magnet
148
127 Magnetic Shielding
149
128 Magnetic field lines for a given magnet
150
129 Force law between two magnets as a function of their

separation
151
130 Effect of Temperature on Magnetic Materials
152
131 Faradays Law of Electromagnetic Induction
153
132 Inducing Current without a Magnet
154
Contents
ix
133 Make a Galvanoscope
155
134 Generating Energy with a Turbine
156
135 Three Pole Magnet
157
136 Put Me Off !
158
137 The Mother Coil!
160
138 Force due to eddy currents
161
139 A Magnet Falling Through Conducting Tube
162
140 How to slow a Rotating Conducting Disk?
164
141 Naughty Coil!
165
142 Visualize Alternating Current
166
143 To Study Effect of Core on RL Circuit
167
Part I
Mechanics
Demonstration 1
Measure Speed of the Ant
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The theme of this activity is motion and measurement of distance. The distance of a straight
line is usually measured with a scale. This activity train students on how to measure distance
of a curved line.
Watch an ant moving on the floor. Keep
marking ant position as it moves. Measure the
distance it travels and the time it takes to travel
this distance. Calculate the speed of the ant.
References
[1]
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science

Physics for Class 9, 3rd Edition (2006), Page 39, Bharati Bhawan
Demonstration 2
Reaction Time
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The distance an object falls in the gravitational

field of the earth can be used as a sensitive
measure of short time intervals. This demo is
based on kinematic equation s = ut + 12 at2 .
The usual demonstration consists of holding a
meter stick vertically from the top while a volunteer stands poised ready to catch it between
the thumb and forefinger. If the fingers are opposite the 50 cm mark, for example, when the
meter stick is dropped, the position of the fingers when the meter stick
is caught gives a measure of the distance the meter stick fell
p before the
volunteer could react. The time is then calculated from t = 2s/g, where
g = 9.8 m/s2 and s is the distance dropped (in meters).
If s = 20 cm then we get t = 0.2 s = 200 ms.
References
[1]
Source:
HTM
http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/demobook/CHAPTER1.
Demonstration 3
How Much is One Newton?
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Take a weighing machine where the object is

placed on the platform and the mass is displayed
on a dial or on a digital display. See the reading, if it has any zero error, remove it. Without
seeing the reading, press the pan of the weighing machine by a force which you think is 1 N.
Now, see the reading and adjust the push till the
dial reading shows 100 g which is approximately
1 N. What is the maximum force you can push
a balance kept on the ground?
References
[1]
Source:
http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/activity_based_
science/Expm1.htm
[2]
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science Physics for Class 9 (3rd ed.),
Page 72, Bharati Bhawan, 2006
Demonstration 4
Pull the Paper under the Tumbler
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Newtons three law of motion are taught in school from quite early times.
Though students know the statements of the three laws but when it comes
to application, quite often the laws are wrongly interpreted. The experiment described is quite common and is shown to dramatize the concept of
Newtons 1st law of motion or inertia. However, a detailed analysis reveals
greater insight into the laws.
Near the edge of a table, place a glass tumbler filled with water. Now hold the part of
the paper overhanging from the table using both
hands. Give a sharp jerk to the paper and pull it
quickly. What you find is that the paper comes
out from below the glass and the glass just stays on the table with no water spilling out. Try pulling the paper with different speeds and see what
happens.
The common explanation is that because of inertia, the glass remains
at its place and the paper comes. But is it the explanation? Where does
this inertia go, when the paper is pulled slowly? Does inertia depend
on velocity? It is friction, acceleration and distance moved under this
acceleration that have to be roped in for proper understanding.
Variants: A coin placed on the playing card kept above the glass. When
playing card is pushed, the coin fall into the glass. Another variant By Dr
Ajay Mahajan is Jiddi Sikka demo.
References
[1]
Source: http://utsahiphysicsteachers.com/resourcematerial/
experiments/Mechanics/Pullpaper.htm
[2]
Video:
http://youtu.be/CSfqk9BIb5k?list=
PLjVcSEe2pNnZiJpmGp9-iGmjkJzf4QGrX
Demonstration 5
Balancing the Nails
Can you balance 14 nails on a nailhead? Fix

a nail on a piece of wood or some lid so that it
remains vertical with its flat top up. We will call
this arrangement stand. Now, ask your friends
to balance the remaining 14 nails on the nail
fixed to the stand. Your friends will be a real
fix attempting to put so many nails in a very small space. But, you come
to their rescue by demonstrating how this can be done.
In this experiment the principle of centre of gravity plays its role. According to this principle, due to the weight of the inclined nails on both
sides of the base nail the weight of the entire set-up acts below the balancing point. Thus, the entire set of nails balances comfortably. You may
gently lower the nails on one side and then remove your hand. This makes
the entire set-up quiver but it does not fall down.
Puzzle/Concepts: Ask students to pin-point centre of mass of the structure when Nail are horizontal/slanted. Generally, students points at geometrical centre in first case. In second case, they do not give a thought
about third direction. The CM is out of the structure. Also, we can explain about concept of stable/unstable equilibrium, torqe, potential energy
etc.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp11.htm
[2]
Arvind Gupta Video in Hindi, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

lGMq460lRpY
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Demonstration 6
A drop of Water Makes Slides Stick Together
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We have read in books about cohesive and adhesive forces. When two
objects made of the same material are in contact with each other, the force
acting between the molecules of the surfaces in contact is called cohesive
force. However, when two objects of different materials remain in contact,
the force between molecules of the surfaces in contact is called adhesive
force. How strong are these forces? Sometimes they are so strong that
they may appear to challenge even persons of great physical strength. In
this experiment we shall use a drop of water to make two thin slides stick
to each other, and study these forces.
In biology labs or diagnostic shops meant
for blood test, thin rectangular glass plates are
used. These plates are called slides. Take two
such slides. Place a drop of water on any of the slides. Keep the second
slide on the first moving the slides over each other, spread the water drop
between them. Now by putting the slides with your hands try to separate
them out from each other. Remember you are not supposed to move the
slides against each other in a sliding manner. Are you able to pull the slides
apart? You will not be able to do it as both the slides very strongly stick
to each other.
Can we make a numerical example out of this? What is the typical
value of force given layer thickness, surface tension, area of slide etc?
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp14.htm
[2]
Video
http://youtu.be/GlKYCnwFOPM?list=
Demonstration 7
Get Going Mug
Tie a cup and a matchbox to the two ends of

a 1.5 m long thread. Place a pencil at the centre point of the thread, such that mug is at the
lower end. Now bend the threadover the pencil
so that both the objects are suspended. In a
swift motion, release the matchbox. Something
surprising happens. The mug does not fall and
break. Instead, the matchbox rotates and the thread winds itself around
the pencil a few times. This experiment is based on friction and angular
momentum.
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Demonstration 8
Action-Reaction forces in Newtons Third Law
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Do this activity to study action reaction forces.

You will need two spring balances. When hook
of a spring balance is pulled by a force, the
spring inside it gets stretched. A pointer attached to the spring reads
the force on the scale of the spring balance.
Attach the ring of a spring balance (A) to a fixed support on a table.
Pass the hook of the second spring balance (B ) through the hook of A.
Now, pull B by its ring. Keep applying the same amount of pull while you
take readings.
Note the readings of A and B. These are equal. What do these readings
show? The reading on A gives the magnitude of the force exerted on its
hook, i.e., the force exerted by A. The fact that the readings are the same
shows that the force exerted by A on B and that exerted by B on A have
the same magnitude.
Can you say that these forces have opposite directions? Both the springs
are stretched. To stretch the spring, the hook must be pulled away from the
balance. So B is exerting a force on A towards the right, and A is exerting
a force on B towards the left. So, the forces have opposite direction.
References
[1]
10
Demonstration 9
Check Newtons Law for interaction between two Ring Magnets
A common statement for Newtons 3rd law reads as for every action there
is always an equal and opposite reaction. The important part which is
generally missed out that it concerns the forces exerted by two bodies on
each other. This demo shows that forces exerted by two ring magnets are
equal and opposite.
Take a PVC stand and two ring magnets.
Weigh the two ring magnets, say A and B, and
the stand separately. Let the weights be W1 ,
W2 and W3 . Put the first ring magnet A in the
stand and place this stand on weighing machine
pan, display of the weighing machine will show
W3 + W1 . After this put the other magnet B in
the same stand in such a way that it will be in
the repulsive mode with magnet A. The magnet
B will be floating in the air having no vertical
contact force with anything. Still the dial reading will be W1 + W2 + W3 .
Although the magnet B is floating in air i.e., it is not on weighing pan and
is stationary in air (i.e. net vertical force acting on B is zero), but the scale
reading has increased by W2 . That means B is pushing A downwards by
the force W2 . Now, B is not falling so some force acts on it upwards to
hold it there. This force is from magnet A only. So, magnet A is pushing
B by a force W2 upwards. Thus the two forces exerted by the two magnets
on each other are equal and opposite.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Expm2.htm
[2]
Video:
http://youtu.be/gQvflRy43Pk?list=
11
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Demonstration 10
Resonance and Sound Waves
gca
This experiment demonstrates forced vibrations

and resonance. Apparatus consists of a set of
three pair of thin steel strips (e.g., hacksaw
blade) of different lengths fixed to a wooden
block. Metal strips of a pair are similar in colour
and dimensions.
When a strip of a one colour is plucked, only
the other strip of the same colour starts vibrating where as the strips of
the other colours remain stationary showing that maximum energy is transferred when resonance occurs.
q
k
The natural frequency of metal strip is given by = 2 m
, where k
is stiffness (it is a material property, equivalent of spring constant) and m
is mass. The masses of strips of same length is equal and that of different
length is unequal. Thus, natural frequency of strips of same length is equal
but that of different length is unequal.
This can also be used to demonstrate that waves (sound) moves through
solid base.
References
[1]
12
Source:
http://www.tarangscientificinstruments.com/
products-mechanics.html
Demonstration 11
The Physics of Lever and Mechanical Advantage
hca
This is a simple model to explain concept of

lever arm (arm length), force, torque etc. A
smaller force applied at a greater distance from
the axis of rotation can lift a larger weight.
References
[1]
Source:
http://www.
tarangscientificinstruments.com/
products-mechanics.html
13
Demonstration 12
Weightlessness with slinky
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The objective of this demo is to get a feeling of

the phenomena of weightlessness.
An effect of acceleration due to gravity (g) is
the extension in a slinky. As you must have experienced, a slinky is like a spring but the turns
are very flexible and even without a load, it
can extend to several times of its natural length
under its own weight. If you hold few turns
of a slinky in your hand and let the rest of it
hang from there, the hanging part also extends
through large distances. This extension again
is because of g. If the effect of g can be reduced to zero, the slinky in a
vertical position will not extend.
Hold some of the turns of a slinky in one hand holding some of the
turns in one hand. Let rest of it hang vertically. The hanging part will be
extended. By holding appropriate number of turns make this part about
10 cm. Now leave the slinky and let it fall. You may catch the falling slinky
at some lower level. The extended turns all shrink. You may do it several
times to show the effect clearly. The slinky shrinks because in the frame
of the falling slinky, there is no effect of gravity. The slinky has become
weightless as all measurable effects of weight have vanished.
You can also perform this demo with a spring-mass system. The spring
should have small spring constant so that there is a large visible extension
when you hang a load. Dropping it will shrink the spring
References
[1]
Source:
science/Expm3.htm
[2]
Youtube Slow Motion: http://youtu.be/eCMmmEEyOO0
14
Demonstration 13
Which thread breaks first?
Introduction: To pluck a mango from a tree, we have to hold the mango

and give a jerk. If we pull gradually it may not get detached from the tree.
We can also detach fruits from a tree giving a jerk to the branch on which
fruits have grown. This demonstration is similar to the above situation.
What do you need: A stand, A long thread and a book
What to do:
1. Tie a book to a thread such that some portion of the thread hangs
from below the book.
2. Hang this arrangement from a support.
3. Pull the thread with a jerk from the lower end.
4. The lower portion of the thread below the book breaks. Why?
5. Now tie the thread back.
6. Again pull the thread from below but pull it slowly this time.
7. The thread above the book breaks from the upper support. Why?
Why does it happen: A sudden jerk on the thread from below increases the
tension in the thread locally. The stress produced by the jerk exceeds the
breaking limit and the thread breaks from below. The book and the thread
above the book are not affected because the time duration of the jerk is
so small that before the disturbance produced due to it reaches the upper
end of thread, the lower thread breaks.
When the pull is gradual there is enough time for the disturbance to
travel the entire length of the thread. Due to the weight of the book the
thread above the book now experiences a greater tension as compared to
the thread below the book. Hence the thread breaks from its upper end.
Similarly when we hold a mango growing on a tree and give it a jerk we
manage to increase the tension locally to the twig with which it is attached
to the main branch. Hence we can enjoy a mango!
15
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Demonstration 14
A Magical Coin
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Introduction: In most of the popular science

books studied by the students we come across
a concept of inertia of rest in relation to the
Newtons first law of motion. A body at rest
maintains its state of rest if the net force on it
is zero. This unwillingness to change its state of
rest is described as the inertia of rest.
To demonstrate the inertia of rest there are many experiments which
are done. But do these experiments really achieve the condition in which
a body can exhibit inertia of rest?
We attempt to analyze it by this demonstration.
What do you need: A match box and a coin
What to do:
1. Insert the coin between the match box case and its drawer till it is
not visible.
2. Tap the match box with your finger sharply.
3. See the coin emerging out of the box.
Point of discussion: It seems as if the sharp taps given to the match
box are making it go down. The coin on the other hand seems to be at
rest, as instead of going down with the match box, it emerges up.
So is the coin really at rest? Is the force experienced by the coin zero?
Why does it happen: When the coin is inserted vertically in the match
box drawer, its weight acts downward. This is balanced by the force of
friction on it acting upward. The force of friction on the coin is due to its
contact with the inner surface of the match box drawer. So the coin is in
equilibrium.
On tapping, the match box gets a large impulse which accelerates it
downwards. The coin in contact with the drawer now experiences a force
of friction downwards. The acceleration of the match box is large, so the
force of friction on the coin tries to attain this acceleration and shoots up
to its maximum possible value. But the maximum force of friction only
manages to move the coin down with acceleration much smaller than the
match box. So relative to the match box, the coin moves a much smaller
distance downwards and hence it emerges out of the match box.
If the force applied on the match box is small, the coin will not emerge
from the match box. In this case the force of friction on the coin will be
sufficient to produce acceleration equal to the match box. So both of them
will now move the same distance down together.
16
Demonstration 15
Lift a Weight by Moving another Weight in a Circle
Pass a thread through the both side open plastic body of a used pen. Tie two unequal masses
m and M on the two sides of the string. Hold
the plastic body in vertical position in your hand
with the heavier mass M hanging and the lighter
mass m resting at the top of the plastic body.
Give motion to the masses by rotating your
hand little bit so that the upper mass is set in nearly circular motion.
As soon as it acquires sufficient speed it will pull the hanging body up. If
you speed up the rotating body the heavier hanging mass can move right
up to the plastic body.
You can adjust the speed of the rotating body by manipulating the force
provided by your hand. By properly adjusting this force, you can keep the
hanging body fixed at a desired height.
You can discuss this phenomenon of the hanging mass going up in a
number of ways. The tension in the string, which provides the centripetal
force, should be mv 2 /r. But this tension should also be M g, the weight of
the hanging body if it keeps in equilibrium. Thus mv 2 /r = M g. Now when
you increase the speed of the rotating mass m by adjusting the force from
your hand, the tension mv 2 /r is increased and hence the mass M moves
up with acceleration.
You can also show conservation of angular momentum, L = mw2 r, by
demonstrating increase of when r is reduced (by pulling the thread).
References
[1]
Source:
science/Expm5.htm
17
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Demonstration 16
Key-bottle experiment
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Introduction: This is an eye catching demonstration which gives an insight

into many concepts of physics like friction, connected motion, vertical circle
What do you need: 200 ml plastic bottle filled with water, key, 1m
sturdy thread, a used pen
What to do:
1. Tie the plastic bottle to one end of the thread and tie a small key to
the other end of the thread.
2. Pass the thread over the body of the pen which acts as a pulley.
3. Now hold the pen in one hand and the key tied to the thread in your
other hand such that it makes an angle of around 45 degree with the
horizontal.
4. Keep the length of the thread on the side of the bottle hanging over
the pulley much smaller than the length of portion of the thread tied
to the key over the other side of pulley
5. Now release the key.
6. The audience hold their breath as they expect the heavier bottle to
slide and crash to the ground
7. But amazingly the bottles downward journey is halted as the thread
tied to the key curls many times around the pen and stops any further
movement.
Why does it happen: When we release the key, the bottle being heavier
starts accelerating down and the key tied to the thread falls down like
a pendulum released from its extreme position. But as it falls down the
length of the thread goes on decreasing and its velocity goes on increasing.
By the time the key reaches the bottom of the circle it acquires the velocity
required for completing a vertical circle. So the thread loops around the
pen. The bottle still accelerates down so the thread keeps looping around
the pen till it stops the motion of the bottle.
As number of loops increase, the friction on the thread increases. The
increase in the contact area of the thread with the pen increases the normal
reaction of the pen on the thread which in turn causes the friction to
increase.
To be merged with Get Going Mug on page 9.
18
Demonstration 17
Spring Potential Energy
Take a toy car with spring mechanism. Make

a mark on a uniform floor with a chalk. Wind
the key of the car through half a turn, and place
the toy at the mark on the floor. Make another
chalk mark at the point where the car stops.
Measure the distance x between the two marks.
This is the distance moved by the car. Rub out
the second mark.
Now, wind the key through a full turn and
place it at the first mark. Measure the distance the car moves before
stopping. Repeat the experiment for one and a half turns of the key and
two turns of the key. Measure the value of x in each case.
The greater the number of turns, the larger is the distance travelled by
the car. This is because when the spring is compressed more, it stores more
energy. The distance x is roughly proportional to the energy stored in the
spring. Try to get the relation between the energy stored and the number
of turns of the key.
References
[1]
19
gba
Demonstration 18
Calibrating a Non-Linear Spring
lea
Objective: To calibrate a spring and get the mass of a given object.

Apparatus: A spring, A hanger of 100g and 4 separate weights of 100g
each, Meter Scale fixed with a nail for hanging the spring , clamp, Object
of unknown mass, Graph paper, 6 plastic scale
Instructions: You have to clamp the given meter scale vertically with the
nail /rod on the upper side. It is a nonlinear spring and hence you cannot
have a unique spring constant. To measure the mass of the given object you
must first calibrate the spring with the given standard masses, that is to
know the extension of the spring for each of these masses. You should draw
a calibration graph with the standard masses and then obtain the mass of
the given object from the extension corresponding to it. Actual extension
is not needed for this calibration. Do your experiments as accurately on
you can and mentions the possible errors and your efforts to reduce it.
20
Demonstration 19
Linear Momentum of the Ball
Take two identical plastic balls. Make a hole in

one of them and fill it with sand. Seal the hole
with tape. Now you have two balls of different
masses. Make a pile of sand on the floor and
drop the lighter ball on it from a height. The
ball will penetrate into the send to some depth.
Make the pile again and drop the heavier ball on
it from the same height. This ball will penetrate
deeper into the sand. Dropping from the same
height ensures that balls strike the sand with the
same velocity. So, increasing the mass increases the depth of penetration
when the velocity remains the same.
Now drop one of the balls from different heights on the pile. Dropping
from a larger height means the ball strikes the pile with larger velocity. So,
increasing the velocity increases the depth of penetration when the mass
remains the same.
If you drop the lighter ball from a greater height and the heavier ball
from a lower height, it may happen that the depths of penetration become
the same. This will happen when the product mv is the same.
References
[1]
21
dba
Demonstration 20
Why Does it Goes Up?
mba
Bodies put on an inclined plane come down the

plane. This can be understood in terms of potential energy. By coming down, the gravitational potential energy decreases. A system under given conservative forces moves in such a
way that the potential energy decreases. This
demonstration emphasizes this principle in a dramatic way.
Join two plastic funnels at the rim with the help of an adhesive. This
makes a double-cone. Arrange to make a rail by two spokes in such a way
that the height of the rail as well as the separation between the spokes
gradually increases. You can take two pieces of thermocol and push the
spokes properly in them to make the structure. The plane of the spokes
becomes an inclined plane. You will have to adjust the geometry by trial
for the demo to work. The height of the rail increases from A to B.
Place a cylindrical object like a pencil near the top of the rail and see
that it comes down as expected. Now place the double cone near the top
and it wont come down. Place it near the bottom. It goes up and settles
near the top of the rail.
Because of the geometry, as the double cone goes from A to B, supposedly up the rail, more and more portion of the middle bulge goes between
the spokes and the cone actually dips. You can measure the height of the
straight tube part of the funnel above the table when the double-cone is
near the bottom of the rail and when it is near the top of the rail. It is
less in the later case showing that the double cone is actually going down
while it seems to go up.
Quantification: Ask students to measure change in potential energy in
two cases. Need to give a scale and balance.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Expm4.htm
[2]
Arvind Gupta
EXOs38T-HV4
22
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Demonstration 21
Counter-intutive Centre of Mass with Bottle
tca
References
[1]
Arvind Gupta Video:

qJQPjFevfws
http://youtu.be/
23
Demonstration 22
Balancing the Scale on Fingers
mda
This demonstrate the concept of centre of mass.

Support a meter stick horizontally with two fingers (of two hands). Slide your fingers in and
they will both meet at the center of mass. To
explain this, you need to understand friction and equilibrium. In static
equilibrium, net force and net torque on the scale is zero.
Give scale to a volunteer. Hold the scale horizontal by placing finger of
one hand below one end of metre scale and finger of another hand below
the mid point of scale. Ask him to move the finger at the end of the scale.
It is easy do so. Now ask him to move the finger at the mid-point. He is
unable to do so. Why?
References
[1]
24
Source: https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/scenario/demos.htm
Demonstration 23
To find Centre of Mass of a Rectangular Shape
Objective: To find the Center of Mass (C.M.) of the given rectangular plate.
Apparatus: Clamp with nail fixed, Plumb Line, 30 cm Plastic Scale, Rectangular Plate
Instructions: You are given a rectangular cardboard plate and are supposed
to find out its Center of Mass. You can think of your method with the given
apparatus, but one way is to hang the board from the fixed nail and with the
help of the plumb line you can locate vertical lines through the holes. If you
decide for that, mark two or three points on the surface, along the plumb
line for each hole. Dont draw lines till you finish with all the holes.Only at
the end, put the plate on the table and draw all the lines using scale and
pencil. Write your name and roll number on the sheet before submitting
to the evaluators.
25
mea
Demonstration 24
To Find the Coefficient of Restitution
rea
Objective: To find the coefficient of restitution in an inelastic collision.

Apparatus: An wooden block with a trench, a sun mica board, a carom
striker, powder, scale, pencil, eraser.
Introduction: When an object hits a wall obliquely, it reflects. If friction
during the collision can be neglected, the parallel component of velocity
remains unchanged but perpendicular component changes. If the collision
is elastic, the net speed remains the same and hence the perpendicular
component also remains the same. As a result, angle of incidence is equal
to angle of reflection. However, if the collision is partially inelastic the
perpendicular component decreases and the angle of reflection will exceed
1
angle of incidence. The coefficient of restitution is obtained by e = tan
tan 2 ,
where 1 and 2 are the angles of incidence and reflection. In the experiment
you will use this equation.
Experiment: Look at the wooden block and the sunmica board. The board
can be fitted to the block just by inserting it in the trench. You can keep
the whole thing on a horizontal surface, the board making an inclined plane
of a small angle. This inclination has no role in the experiment.
Half the wall of the block is wood and the other half is foam. By just
flipping the block you get the other kind of wall on the top. Sprinkle some
powder on the board very gently, so that a thin layer is formed. Put striker
on the board at some distance from the wall and flick it so as to hit the
wall obliquely. The angle should be large enough to give you significant
difference between the angles of incidence and reflection if any. As the
striker moves through the powder, it makes a trail which you can see. Very
carefully draw pencil lines to mark the incident and reflected directions of
the center of the striker. Draw perpendicular to the wall that goes through
the point of intersection of these two directions.
Now you can get e from the equation. Repeat at least 3 times with
wooden surface and 3 times with foam surface.
Hazards: No hazards
Acknowledgement: Designed by Shiksha Sopan.
26
Demonstration 25
It is not Easy to Do Simple Movements!
nda
Sit on chair with legs and backbone vertical. Try

to stand up without moving the upper portion of
your body forward or lower portion of your body
backward. Can be used to explain concepts like
centre of mass, torque etc.
Variant: Turn your right side to the wall.
Turn your right foot and cheek against the wall.
Now try to lift your left foot off the floor.
Both of these stunts require you to shift your
center of gravity away from the support base.
The body maintains balance with little adjustments so automatic that we never think about them.
References
[1]
Source:
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/
betyoucant.pdf
27
Demonstration 26
Win a 100 Rs Note
oda
Stand with your heels against a wall and your

feet together. Place a 100 Rs note on the floor
about a foot in front of your feet. Now, try to
pick up the 100 Rs note without moving your
feet or bending your knees. You cant pick it up.
This demo explains concept like centre of mass,
static equilibrium, torque etc.
When you stand straight against the wall, your center of gravity is over
your feet (base) as it should be. When you bend forward, you move your
center of gravity forward. In order to keep your balance, you must move
your feet forward too. This maintains the base under the center of gravity
needed for stability. If you persist in trying to pick it up, youll fall flat on
your face!
References
[1]
28
Source:
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/
betyoucant.pdf
Demonstration 27
Self Balancing Toy
pda
This toy is in the form of question mark. It balances itself.
29
Demonstration 28
Rolling and Kinetic Friction
qda
Keep a pen (cylinder) between your palms.

When you move the palms, observe the translation motion of the pen and your hand. This
demo can be used to show rolling without slipping, translation and rotational motion etc.
30
Demonstration 29
Gyroscope from cycle wheel
hea
Introduction: It is a common experience that

a bicycle can be parked only when we support
it with a stand otherwise it will fall down. But
the same bicycle when moving on the road can
be balanced very well on its two wheels. Wheels
of a moving bicycle have a very large spin angular momentum which helps in maintaining the
balance of the bicycle. This is the basic principle of a gyroscope. In this demonstration we
will see how a spinning cycle wheel is affected
by external torque.
Equipments:A cycle wheel with an axle, rope
Procedure
1. Attach a rope to the axle of the cycle wheel.
2. Hold the cycle wheel by the rope. See that the wheel topples down.
3. Hold the cycle wheel from its axle and give it a spin in clockwise
direction.
4. When the wheel acquires a large angular velocity, leave the axle and
hold the wheel by the rope attached to the axle.
5. See that the wheel instead of toppling this time starts prcising around
the rope in the anticlockwise direction when seen from above.
6. Now hold the cycle wheel from the axle, spin it in anticlockwise direction, and again hold it with the rope but this time see that the
wheel prciss in a clockwise direction around the rope.
7. When the wheel is held by the rope, (i) why does it topple when it is
not spinning and (ii) why does it start prcising when it is spinning?
Discussion: When we hold the cycle wheel by the rope attached to the
axle, the tension in the rope and the weight of cycle wheel acting through
the centre of mass of the wheel cause a torque which topples the wheel. A
spinning wheel has a spin angular momentum L, whose direction is given
by the right hand thumb rule. If you spin it in clockwise direction, the spin
angular momentum L is away from you and perpendicular to the plane of
the wheel. If you spin it in anticlockwise direction, L is towards you. If
the angular velocity is large, L is also very large.
Now, when a torque is applied by holding the rope, the torque acts in a
direction perpendicular to L. This causes an additional very small angular
momentum dL in the direction of the torque. The net angular momentum
is now the vector sum of L and dL which is no more perpendicular to the
plane of the wheel but is slightly tilted towards the applied torque. This
31
32
Demonstration 29. Gyroscope from cycle wheel
causes the angular momentum L to follow the torque and the wheel starts
prcessing about the rope.
Reversing the direction of angular momentum L causes the wheel to
prcess in an opposite sense.
Variant: This demo can be done with Toy Gyroscope on page 35.
Demonstration 30
To study the theorem of perpendicular axes in Moment of Inertia
Objective:To study the theorem of perpendicular axes in Moment of Inertia.

Introduction: For planer bodies, the sum of the moments of inertia about
two axes, perpendicular to each other but in the plane of the body, equals
the moment of inertia of the body about the axis through the same point
perpendicular to the plane. The moment of inertia of an object can be
found by suspending it from a support and allowing it to oscillate about
the suspension. The time period happens
to be proportional to the square
root of the moment of inertia. T = k I.
Apparatus: An wooden plate with two bolts fixed on the sides and one at
the center, a wire fixed with a nut, clamp-stand, stop watch
Information for the students: Suspend the plate by fixing the bolt in a nut
on a side. Let the plate be suspended . Now twist the plate about the
vertical axis and measure time period using stop watch. Make sufficient
no. of readings to be sure of the value. This gives moment of inertia Ix up
to the proportionality constant.
Open the nut and screw it in the bolt on other side. Get the time
period of twist oscillations. From this find the moment of inertia Iy up to
the proportionality constant.
Again open the nut and screw it in the bolt at the center of the plate.
Get the time period of twist oscillations. From this find the moment of
inertia Iz up to the proportionality constant.
I +I
Find the value of xIz y .
Acknowledgement: Developed at SGM-IAPT Anveshika
33
xea
Demonstration 31
Paper Helicopter
cca
The paper helicopter is very easy to make. Cut

out a rectangular piece of paper approximately
4 cm 15 cm. Fold the paper (along length) in
equal halves and then unfold it. Cut along the
fold crease upto half of the length. Now, cut
about 1/3 through the paper laterally a little
below your first cut on both sides and fold these parts along length. Make
folds as shown in paper. Dont forget to add a paper clip at the bottom.
The helicopter rotates when you drop it from a height of 2 m or above. Why
the blades rotates? If you fold the blades in opposite direction then direction of rotation changes! This simple toy can be used to explain concept
of centre of pressure, torque, angular momentum etc.
References
[1]
34
Web
Source:
Create-a-Paper-Helicopter
http://www.wikihow.com/
Demonstration 32
Gyroscope Using Toy Motor
The equipment consists of a toy motor powered

by two AA batteries.
Making: Take a toy motor. Take two CD and
an alminium sheet of the size of CD. Place the
aluminium sheet between two CD. Fix this assembly to the axle of motor. Paste/draw Netwons disc on outer CD. This equipment can be
used for three concepts as discussed below.
Newton Disc: When connected to battery, the motor start rotating and
you get a low cost Newtons disc.
Magnetic Brake: Bring a magnet close to the disc. The speed reduces. You
can explain about eddy currents and magnetic brake. See also page 164.
Gyroscope: Suspend entire assembly was from a thread which does not
pass through centre of mass. When motor is switched on, the CD rotates
providing angular momentum to the system. The torque due to weight
about centre of mass causes angular momentum (direction) to change and
the system precesses about vertical axis. Changing the polarity on battery
~
change direction of rotation. Physical law is ~ = ddtL . This set up seems to
be good for classroom demo as carrying bicycle wheel in classroom is little
bit cumbersome. See also page 31.
35
dca
Demonstration 33
Coupled Pendulum
kca
Coupled Pendulum to show energy transfer.

Similar to what Masti Ji shown in Kolkata
SRP.
36
Demonstration 34
SHM Phase and Phase Difference
Introduction: An oscillating pendulum, a cork

bobbing up and down in water or the periodic
motion of the mass attached to a spring have one
thing in common. They are all executing simple harmonic motion (SHM). Simple harmonic
motion is a special type of oscillation. The concept of phase and phase difference associated
with SHM is generally difficult to comprehend.
In this demonstration this concept of phase and
phase difference can be understood easily.
Equipments:A stand, two pendulums made by attaching two similar plastic balls with two threads
Procedure:
1. Hang the two threads attached to the plastic balls to the stand to
make the two pendulums.
2. Make the length of the threads same.
3. Take both the balls to one extreme and release them together.
4. Both the balls oscillate in a similar manner i.e. they have same time
period, reach the other extreme in the same time and are at same
position at any instant of time.
5. We say that both are in the same phase and their phase difference is
zero.
6. Now take one ball to one extreme and the other ball to the other
extreme and release them simultaneously.
7. See that the balls move opposite to one another at all times i.e. if one
moves right the other moves left. Also if one is at the right extreme,
the other is at the left extreme.
8. We say that both are in opposite phase and their phase difference is
.
9. Now make the length of one of the pendulums slightly less than the
other
10. Again release both of them simultaneously from the extreme position.
11. This time the two do not move together, one with the smaller length
reaches the other extreme earlier, so we say that they are not in phase.
12. But the phase difference between them does not remain constant,
first it increases with time and becomes equal to , then the phase
difference starts decreasing and becomes equal to zero and again it
increases to and then goes to zero. This process repeats itself and is
called beats.
Discussion: SHM is an oscillation in which a particle moving in a straight
37
fea
38
Demonstration 34. SHM Phase and Phase Difference
line experiences a force which directs it towards its mean position and the
magnitude of the force is proportional to the displacement from the mean
position. It can be represented by a sine or cosine function. The argument
of the sine or cosine function is called the phase of the particle executing
SHM. Phase tells about the state of the particle at any instant.
In the above case the SHM of the pendulums which are released from
their extreme position can be represented by the equations X1 = A1 cos(1 t+
) and X2 = A2 cos(2 t + ), where A1 and A2 are the amplitudes, and
are the initial phases, 1 and 2 are the angular frequencies and the
arguments (1 t + ), (2 t + ) are the phases of the two pendulums at any
instant.
Since the frequency of the pendulum is dependent on its length, when
the length of the threads is kept same 1 = 2 . Now if the balls are released
together from
1. Same extreme, initial phases = = 0 and phase difference = 0
2. Opposite extremes, = 0 and = and phase difference = = .
Also the amplitudes A1 = A2 .
When the length of the threads is different 1 6= 2 . Now if the balls
are released together initial phases = = 0 but the phase difference is
(1 t 2 t) which changes with time and oscillates between the value 0 and
causing beats.
Demonstration 35
Resonance in pendulum by hand
Introduction: Some times in a movie we see

that when an opera singer sings, the glass in
her hand shatters. Also at times when we close
the door, the window panes in the room start
rattling. The phenomenon governing the above
events is resonance. When the frequency of the
opera singer (or closing door) matches with the
frequency of the glass (or window), resonance occurs. In this demonstration
we show this phenomenon of resonance.
Equipments:A pencil, a thread, a nut
Procedure:
1. Tie a nut to one end of a thread.
2. Wrap the other end of the thread on a pencil to make a simple pendulum.
3. Apply a small force on the pendulum to make it oscillate.
4. Leave it free so that it starts oscillating with its natural frequency.
5. Now rotate the pencil in clockwise and anticlockwise direction periodically with your fingers.
6. Do it very slowly(at frequency much less than natural frequency of
pendulum).
7. See that the amplitude of the oscillations becomes very less.
8. Again give a rotation to the pencil in a similar manner, but this time
do it very fast.(at frequency much more than the natural frequency
of pendulum)
9. The amplitude of oscillation is still very less.
10. Now rotate the pencil in such a manner that frequency of the periodic rotation given to the pencil matches with the frequency of the
pendulum. This will require some practice.
11. See that the amplitude of oscillation of the pendulum becomes very
large.
Discussion: Every body oscillates with its natural frequency when it is
left free.This natural frequency depends on the shape, size and material
of the body. If the body is subjected to a periodic force the body starts
oscillating with the frequency of this periodic force after some time. But
the amplitude of these oscillations is very small if the forced frequency is
different from the natural frequency. If the forced frequency happens to
match with the natural frequency, the body gains a lot of energy and its
amplitude become very large. We call this the resonant frequency.
39
gea
Demonstration 36
To Study Torsional Oscillation of a Rectangular Body
oea
Objective:To study the torsional oscillation of a rectangular body suspended

by two non parallel threads.
Apparatus: Clamp, Suspension plate with nails fixed, Oscillating plate with
hooks and threads fixed, Meter Scale, Stop Watch, Graph Paper
Instructions: Suspend the oscillating plate using the threads and the inner
pair of nails on the suspension plate. The upper edges of the plate should
be horizontal.
Rotate the plate about the vertical bisector through a small angle and
release. The plate should start oscillating.
Let the height of the nails over the upper edge of the plate be H and
time period of oscillation be T . You are suppose to find the relation between
T and H. So measure T and H at appropriate length and draw a graph
between
T and H. From this, guess whether T H 2 , T H or T
H.
40
Demonstration 37
Why Balloons come Closer?
aca
The Bernoulli principle enables aircraft to fly.

This experiment demonstrate Bernoullis principle in a simple way. Hang two balloons a few
inches apart. Blow air between them. What
happens? Whether balloons come closer or goes
farther away? Why? You can also do this experiment by blowing air above a strip of paper.
Electrostatic Variant: Same setup can be used to show electrostatic
attraction and repulsion between balloons when they are charged.
41
Demonstration 38
Why the fluid does not comes out?
kda
Use the scissors to make a small hole on the side

of the water bottle, closer to the bottom.
The water starts coming out in a parabolic
path.
Fill the water bottle and put your finger over
the hole. Take your finger off the hole and let
the water bottle drop. What happened during
the drop? Did the bottle leak?
When the cup is at rest, the force of gravity
pulls downward upon the water. At the location
of the holes, there is nothing to balance gravitys force and prevent water
from spilling out of the cup.
However, when the cup is in free fall, the water will not leak, making it
seem as though the water is not experiencing the downward pull of gravity.
It is merely falling to the ground at the same rate as its surroundings (the
cup).
References
[1]
42
Source:
http://www.physicscentral.com/experiment/
physicsathome/free-fall.cfm
Demonstration 39
Suspending a Cup by a Balloon
rda
This demo explains the concept of air pressure

and Boyles law, P V = constant.
Blow up a balloon to less than half its potential size and close off the opening. Then place
the mouth of a paper cup against the side of the balloon and hold it there
while you blow up the balloon the rest of the way. You will find the cup
becomes fastened to the surface of the balloon and will actually hold on
fairly tightly until you force the cup to let loose of the balloon. Because
of the curvature of the surface of the balloon, when it is not blown up all
the way, you place the mouth of the cup against its surface, and the balloon
extends a small distance into the cup. Then, as you blow up the balloon
farther, its curvature becomes such that the volume of the air trapped
inside the cup becomes larger, thus lowering the pressure inside the cup.
The pressure inside the cup is now less than atmospheric pressure, and the
atmosphere outside the cup pushes the cup onto the balloon.
References
[1]
Source: https://www.physics.umn.edu/outreach/pforce/circus/
airpressure.html
43
Demonstration 40
Keep the Paper Dry in Water
sda
Stuff a large handkerchief or some crumplednewspaper into an empty glass or jar. Make
surethe handkerchief wont fall out when you
turn theglass upside down.Then, fill a pot with
water. Holding the glass sothat its mouth is
down, put the glass deep into thepot of water
and hold it there. After a minute ortwo, pull the glass out of the water and
remove thehandkerchief.
Water cannot fill the glass because the glass is already filled with air.
The empty glass is full of air. So, air takes up space. Air is a gas. It has
no size or shape of its own butwill fill every space it can.
References
[1]
44
Source: arvindguptatoys.com http://goo.gl/pqaj2C
Demonstration 41
Push Water in a pair of Connected Syringes
This simple experiment is often taken as an example of Pascals law of transmission of Pressure
or a demonstration of F = P A. However this
popular belief does not pass the test of deeper
analysis. Equipments needed are two syringes
of different sizes connected by a small flexible
plastic tube. Some water is filled in one of the
syringes. The procedure is,
1. Suppose you have water in the bigger syringe and the piston of the
smaller syringe is staying against the end. Hold the bigger syringe
between the two fingers and a thumb. The thumb is on the circular
base of the piston while the fingers are on the two extrusions of the
barrel.
2. Push on the base by the thumb so that water goes from the bigger
syringe to smaller one. Feel the amount of force.
3. Now water is in the smaller syringe. Holding the this syringe as usual
between two fingers and one thumb, push the water back to bigger
syringe. Feel the force you have to apply.
4. Compare, in which case you had a apply a larger force.
As you are comparing forces in two different experiments (Step 2 and 3
above), you should not use Pascals law which talks about increase in pressure everywhere in the liquid, but at the same instant. For the same reason
you cannot equate pressure in two cases and make force proportional to the
area of the base. Then what is it?
References
[1]
Source: Utsahi Physics Teachers Website http://goo.gl/4uFmTu
45
tda
Demonstration 42
Blow Air in a Long Air Bag
uda
Heres the challenge. How many breaths would

it take to blow up a 2 meter (8 ft) long bag? Depending on the size of the person, it may take
anywhere from 10 to 50 breaths of air. However,
with a little practice and some scientific knowledge of air... you will be able to inflate the bag
using only one breath!
46
Demonstration 43
To find the atmospheric pressure using a syringe and weights
Objective:To find the atmospheric pressure using a syringe and weights.

Apparatus: A syringe with one end closed and very little air trapped in it.
An identical extra syringe, Support system for keeping the syringe fixed
in vertical position. A pan suspended from the lower end of the syringe
barrel, known weights.
Introduction: Suppose there is no air trapped in the syringe. When you
put small amount of weight on the pan, the piston stays in its position.
If you pull the piston down and release, it will be pushed up because the
force by the atmosphere is more than the weight put. But if the weight is
equal to the force by the atmosphere, and you pull the piston little bit and
release, the piston will stay wherever it is released. By measuring the inner
area of cross section of the syringe, you can get the atmospheric pressure
by Atmospheric Pressure = Weight/Area.
Experiment: Find the inner cross sectional area of the syringe. The weight
required is definitely more than 1/2 kg.wt. So put 1/2 kg weight on the
pan. Because of little air trapped the piston might come down little bit.
From here pull the barrel little bit and release. If it goes up, you need to
put more weight. Use smaller weights to find the position where the piston
stays wherever it is left. Try to get this situation correctly.
You might find that even if you make small variation in weight the piston
behaves similarly and stays wherever it is left. This is due to friction. Find
the range of weights for which this situation occurs. Use the mean weight
and calculate the atmospheric pressure.
Questions: Due to the trapped air in the syringe do you expect the measured atmospheric pressure to be more or less than the actual value? Can
you estimate this error in percentage.
Repeat at least 3 times to check for consistency.
Hazards: Be careful to handle weights, they should not fall on your feet.
Acknowledgement: Designed by Shiksha Sopan
47
sea
Demonstration 44
To measure the viscosity of water
vea
Objective: To measure the viscosity of water.

Introduction: Viscosity is counterpart of friction in liquids. When one layer
of a liquid attempts to slip over the adjacent layer, there are forces by the
layers on each other to oppose the relative possible velocity. Essentially it
opposes the velocity gradient in a liquid (or a gas). The effect is measured
by Coefficient of Viscosity. One standard way to get the viscosity of
water is to let it flow through a narrow tube, and use Poiseuille equation
dV
P r 4
dV
dt = 8L , where dt is the volume of water coming out of the tube, P
is the pressure difference across the tube, r is the radius of the tube, L is
the length of the tube and is the coefficient of viscosity.
Apparatus: A bottle with a plastic tube fixed at bottom, a syringe barrel
closed at its tip, a stop watch, a screw gauge, scale.
Information for the students: The tube fixed in the bottle is the plastic
sleeve over electric wires. We are giving you the wire removed from the
sleeve. Assume that the inner diameter of the tube is equal to the diameter
of the wire. Measure the diameter of the wire to get the radius of the tube
r.
Measure the length L of the tube using a plastic scale. We have put a
mark near the neck of the bottle. Measure the height of this mark above
the tube. You will be putting water in the bottle up to this height and
then P will be equal to hg.
Close the tube with one hand and pour water in the bottle up to the
mark. Release the tube. Water will start coming out from the tube. Start
collecting the water in the syringe and at the same time start the stop
watch. Collect water up to say 3/4 of the syringe and stop the stop watch.
Note down the time and the volume of water collected. This gives dV
dt .
Now you can put everything in Poiseuille equation to get the coefficient of
viscosity . Repeat at least 4-5 times to get the average and variation in
48
Demonstration 45
Archimedes Principle
Fill a 1-litre plastic bottle with water and screw

on its cap. Hold the bottle by the cap. You will
feel some strain in your fingers because you have
to apply an upward force to hold the bottle at
rest.
Now dip the bottle in a bucket of water,
putting about half the bottle inside water. The
strain on your fingers will now be less. This means that you are applying
a lesser upward force to hold the bottle at rest. This is because the water
exerts an upward force on the bottle.
Gradually immerse more of the bottle inside the water. As you do so,
the strain on your fingers reduces further. This means that the upward
force exerted by the water increases as more of the bottle gets into the
water. So, when the bottle is completely immersed in water, you have to
apply a very small force to hold the bottle.
Take a thick, long rubber band and cut it so that you have two free ends.
Tie a stone at one end, and tie the other end to a fix support. The rubber
band will get stretched. Because of this it will pull the stone upwards. This
pull balances the weight of the stone.
Now, what do you think will happen if you immerse the hanging stone
in water? To check whether your answer is correct, put a jug of water
below the stone so that the stone gets immersed in water. You will find
that the rubber band is now stretched by a smaller amount. Why?
References
[1]
49
fba
Demonstration 46
Effect of Soap on Surface Tension
lca
Take a bowl of water. Spray talcum powder on it. The powder is uniformly
distributed. Why? Now, slowly drop a drop of soap solution in it. What
happens? Shown by Patil Ji in Kolkata SRP.
50
Demonstration 47
Rise of Paper (Welcome) due to surface tension
Take Newspaper. Fold/cut it in such a way that welcome is written on it.

Take a tub/bucket of water. Slowly Welcom rises. Describe by Amit Jana
in Kolkata SRP.
51
mca
Demonstration 48
Pressure in Two Balloons connected by transparent pipe
rca
NWUPT14. NEST 2014.
References
[1] http://youtu.be/RCiHE3JO6aQ?list=
52
Demonstration 49
The Fun of Three Bottles
Pressure of atmosphere is all pervading in our

surrounding. Also it shows up in various ways.
Liquid columns have their own pressure. While
atmospheric pressure is almost uniform over
heights of tens of meters, liquid pressure varies
significantly with depth of the column. We are
giving a fun-filled way to understand and practice these phenomena.
Suppose you have water in the bigger syringe while, the piston of the
smaller syringe is staying against the end. Hold the bigger syringe between
the two fingers and a thumb. The thumb is on the circular base of the
piston while the fingers are on the two extrusions of the barrel. Push
on the base by the thumb so that water goes from the bigger syringe to
smaller one. Feel the amount of force you have to exert. Now water is in
the smaller syringe. Holding the this syringe as usual between two fingers
and one thumb, push the water back to bigger syringe. Feel the force you
have to apply.
Three bottles give enough room for discussion of air and water pressure.
Flow direction in a tube is decided by the pressure difference at the two
ends. Calculation of pressure at end of the tube involves air expansion or
contraction if the cap is closed and any water column above that end.
References
[1]
Source: UPT: http://goo.gl/GEPvxk
53
bda
Demonstration 50
Rising of water due to centrifugal force!
cda
Joga Chandrasekhar!
54
Demonstration 51
To study the extension-load characteristics of bicycle valve tube
Objective:To study the extension-load characteristics of bicycle valve tube.

Introduction: For a linear spring described in textbooks, the extension
is proportional to the applied force. But most materials are linear for a
small extension range only. In this experiment you will study the relation
between the load applied on a hanging bicycle valve tube and its extension.
Also rubber shows hysteresis so the extension depends not only on the force
but also on the history of stretching.
Apparatus: bicycle valve tube with knots at the ends, a stand to suspend
the tube, a hanger weight, weights, meter scale vertically fixed, graph paper
etc.
Information for the students: Measure the natural length of the tube. Suspend the tube in the stand and the hanger weight from its lower end. Put
the weights one by one and note the reading of appropriate point on the
scale. Each time write the load and the scale reading in a table. Calculate
the extension. Once you have gone up to say 1 kg, remove the weights one
by one and each time note the extension. Write in the same table. Make
sure you monotonically increase the load and the monotonically decrease
the load. Also you have to give sufficient time after putting or removing
the load for the tube to settle down.
Draw a graph with load on the x-axis and extension on the other. The
area under the curve gives the work done by the load, Calculate the work
done in the increasing load cycle and also on the decreasing load cycle.
Your answer should be in joules. Is any of the two positive? Is any of the
two negative? What is the total energy dissipated in the whole process?
Acknowledgement: Developed at SGM-IAPT Anveshika
55
wea
Demonstration 52
To study torsional oscillations of a wire
bfa
56
Part II
Waves
57
Demonstration 53
Vibrations, Rerefaction and Compression in a Long Spring!
ada
59
Demonstration 54
Visualize Wave Motion
yda
The live model is made up of straws and beads.

This model is used to explain concept of wave
motion, reflection of wave from denser medium,
wavelength etc. The movement of disturbace
(wave) can be easily seen. Also, it shows how
speed of sound increases with increase in tension.
References
[1]
60
Arvind Gupta Youtube Video http://youtu.be/IlF8sdHTqaU
Demonstration 55
Compression and Rarefaction in Longitudinal Waves
zda
This experiment uses a slinky to show compression and rarefaction in a longitudinal wave.
References
[1]
Arvind
Gupta
Youtube
Video
http://www.
tarangscientificinstruments.com/manuals/Slinky-Spring.pdf
61
Demonstration 56
Sound is Produced by Vibrations
hba
Use tape to fix a string to a small plastic ball.

Suspend the ball from a support. Now, strike a
prong of a tuning fork against a pad, and touch
the ball with the prong. The ball will move away
with a jerk. This shows that the prongs are
vibrating. When they vibrate, they move back
and forth. So, when a vibrating prong touches
the ball, the ball moves.
Gently touch the surface of the water kept in
vessel with a prong of a tuning fork, after striking it against a pad. Since the prong vibrates,
it creates ripple in water.
References
[1]
62
Demonstration 57
Reflection of Sound
Take two long, identical tubes and place them

on a table near a wall. Ask your friend to speak
softly into one tube while you use the other
tube to listen. You will find that you hear your
friends voice best when the tubes make equal
angles with the wall, i.e., when 6 i = 6 r. Also,
if you lift your tube off the table, you will not be able to hear your friends
voice clearly. This is because your tube, the incident sound and the normal
are no longer in the same plane.
Repeat the experiment by placing flat objects of different materials
(steel and plastic trays, a cardboard, a tray draped with cloth, etc.) against
the wall. You will find that hard surfaces reflect sound better than soft
ones.
References
[1]
63
iba
Demonstration 58
Visualize your Sound!
nca
This was shown in NWUPT14. Take a pipe of approx 4 inch dia and
6 inch length. Tie a rubber sheet (balloon) on one side. Fix a small plane
mirror/reflector on the sheet. Incident a laser on reflector and produce
sound of different letter from other side of the pipe. The light is reflected
and produce different pattern for different letters.
64
Demonstration 59
The Phenomenon of Beats!
Demonstrate phenomenon of beat using a light source fitted on hacksaw

blade. Saw first time at SGM Kanpur.
65
yca
Demonstration 60
The Optics of Waves on Water Surface
ica
This experiment is based on HC Verma video https://www.facebook.

com/photo.php?v=449997568411615&set=vb.100002041261681&type=3&theater
References
[1]
66
HC Verma Video:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=
454642061280499&set=vb.100002041261681&type=3&theater
Demonstration 61
Interference with thread!
sca
A model to show variation of phase difference

between two waves interfering in two slits experiment. Use thread and sleeve (equally spaced)
for demo. Shown in NWUPT 14
67
Demonstration 62
Diffraction of light from a thin wire!
hda
JCR! This demo shows diffraction pattern produced by a thin wire.
References
[1]
68
Source: http://www.optics.rochester.
edu/workgroups/berger/EDay/
EDay2008_Diffraction.pdf
Demonstration 63
Interference in Ripple Tank!
gda
JCR!
69
Part III
Optics
71
Demonstration 64
Multiple Images with Plane Mirrors
Take two plane mirrors (without frame). Place

both the mirrors side by side and fix the junction
where they meet with a cello tape. Now you
will be able to open and close the mirrors like a
book. Place both the mirrors at a small angle
apart in the upright position on the floor. Place
a lighted candle in the space between the two mirrors. You will observe
many images of the candle which makes a very beautiful scene. Now by
gradually decreasing the angle between the mirrors observe the images
being formed. You will now observe more and more images of the candle
being formed. Similarly, if the angle between the mirrors is increased the
number of images decreases and when this angle is 180 , only one image
will be visible.
When the angle between the two mirrors is 180 they together act like
a single mirror so that only one image is visible. As the angle between the
mirrors gradually decreased, not only the candle but the mirrors themselves
get imaged in one another. That is why when the angle between the mirrors
is decreased one observe image within image, and image within that image,
and so on. In this way one observes a lot many images. If the angle between
the mirrors is finally decreased to zero, infinite images are expected to be
formed. The situation is similar to the hair dresser saloon where we see
multitude of images.
Fill a transparent glass tray with water and fix two similar mirrors at
its opposite ends. See the image being formed. What you see is a very long
water canal. Think how this happens?
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp15.htm
73
uba
Demonstration 65
Scattering of Lights of Different Colours
oaa
Take water in a transparent container which is

at least 18 20 cm long (or wide). Add two or
three drops of milk to the water and shine a
powerful torch through the water. Look from
a side of the container. You will see that the
colour of the milk-water mixture changes with
distance from the torch. Near the torch, the colour is milky blue. And at
the other end, the colour is orange or red. If you add a few more drops of
the milk, the colours become darker. Look at the face of the torch through
the liquid. It will look reddish.
74
Demonstration 66
Scattering of Light
naa
Place a glass of tap water in front of a paper

screen or wall. Shine a laser pointer (or a powerful torch) through the water. You will only see
spots of light on the screen and on the wall of
the glass. Now, put a drop of milk in the water
and shine light through the water. You will be
able to see the path of the light through the water.
References
[1]
Related Video NEST 2014: http://youtu.be/nMFrIjpMxu4?list=

75
Demonstration 67
Dispersion of Light by a Prism
maa
Make a narrow slit on a stiff piece of paper

and make it stand vertically. Allow sunlight or
torchlight to fall on the slit, to create a narrow
beam of light. Let this beam fall on a rectangular face of a prism placed near a wall. Light
will pass through the prism and fall on the wall.
Rotate the prism till you see a band of colours
on the wall.
76
Demonstration 68
Tracing the Ray of Light through a Prism?
Let us trace a ray of light through a

C
T
prism. Fix a sheet of white paper on
a board. Place the prism on it and
D
draw its outline ABC. Draw a line
i1
r
L
Q 1 r2 R i2 M
PQ that meets AC at Q, at an angle
K
N
of about 30 to AC. Fix two pins K
P
and L vertically on this line, about
S
A
B
10 cm apart. Now look at the image
of the pins from the side BC of the prism. Fix a pin M such that it appears
to be in a straight line, the other pins will disappear behind M. Fix another
pin N (at least 10 cm from M ) such that all four pins appear to be in a
straight line.
Remove the prism and the pins. Join by a straight line the points where
the pins M and N were inserted. This line, SR, meet BC at R. Join Q and
R by a straight line. The lines PQ, QR and RS represent the directions of
the incident ray, the ray within prism and the emergent ray respectively.
Draw perpendiculars to AC and BC at Q and R respectively. Measure
the angles i1 , r1 , i2 and r2 . Also, measure the angle of deviation, i.e., the
angle between PQ and RS.
77
laa
Demonstration 69
Advantage of having Two Eyes?
kaa
Keep a glass of water on a table. Ask your

friends to sit about 5 6 m from the table. Hold
a coin in your hand and move it slowly near
the glass. One by one your friends should cover
one eye and say when the coin is just above the
glass. When they say so, drop the coin. You
will find that in most cases your friends judge
the position of the coin wrongly, and the coin
falls outside the glass. But if they look through
both the eyes, they will be able to judge the position of the coin correctly most of the time, and
the coin will drop into the glass. This happens
because we are unable to judge depth, or the
relative distance between objects, with one eye, especially when the objects are at some distance from the eye. Two eyes are required to perceive
depth. Also, we can see a wider area with two eyes than with one eye.
References
[1]
78
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science Physics for Class 10,

Page 37, Bharati Bhawan
Demonstration 70
Image formed by a Convex Lens
In this activity we will use the convex lens of

a magnifying glass. First find the approximate
focal length (f ) of the lens. Then fix it vertically
on a stand. Draw a long straight line on a table
and place the lens stand on it. The principal
axis of the lens should be parallel to and exactly above the line on the
table. On one side of the stand mark the points F1 and 2F1 on the line, at
distance f and 2f respectively from the lens. Similarly, mark F2 and 2F2
on the other side of the stand.
Make a small screen of stiff paper and fix it on the stand. The screen
should be vertical, with its centre at about the same height as the principal
axis of the lens. Place the screen stand on the line drawn on the table.
Light a candle and place it on the line such that the lens is between
the candle and the screen. The flame of the candle should be at about the
same height as the principal axis of the lens. Move the screen back and
forth till you see a sharp image of the flame on the screen. Repeat this by
placing the candle at different positions. In each case note the size of the
image. Try to see the image properties for different locations of the object.
In which cases are the image not formed on the screen?
References
[1]

79
jaa
Demonstration 71
Reflection from Curved Surface
baa
Place a lighted candle in front of a large, shiny

spoon. For each side of the spoon, check the
following.
(a) Is the image formed erect or inverted?
(b) What is the size of the image compared to
that of the candle (large/ smaller/ samesized)?
(c) Change the distance between the spoon and
the candle. Does the size of image change?
(d) As you bring the spoon close to the candle,
does the image of the candle disappear at a
certain distance?
References
[1]
80
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science Physics for Class 10, Page 3,
Bharati Bhawan
Demonstration 72
Focal Length of a Concave Mirror
Let us find focal length of a concave mirror.

Face the concave mirror towards the sun. Take
a small piece of paper and fix it to the thin stick.
Using the stick as a handle, hold the paper very
close to the mirror. Now gradually take the paper away from the mirror, towards the sun. At
all times hold the paper at a small angle to the mirror to allow sunlight to
fall on the mirror.
After a certain distance you will see an oval spot on the paper. Adjust
the position and the angle of the paper till you get a very small, almost
round, bright spot. At this position measure the distance between the pole
of the mirror and the paper. This distance is approximate focal length of
the mirror. If you keep the paper there for some time, the paper will start
burning because sunlight gets concentrated at one spot, producing a lot of
heat.
References
[1]
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science Physics for Class 10, Page 5,
Bharati Bhawan
81
caa
Demonstration 73
Nature of the Image formed by a Concave Mirror
daa
Let us study the nature of the image formed by

a concave mirror. First find the approximate
focal length (f ) of a concave mirror. Then fix it
vertically on a stand. Draw a long straight line
on a table and place the mirror stand on it. The
pole of the mirror should be exactly above the line. Now mark the point
F and C on the line, at distances f and 2f respectively from the mirror.
Make a small screen of stiff paper and fix it on another stand. The
screen should be vertical, with its centre at above the same height as the
pole of the mirror. Place the screen stand on the line drawn on the table.
Light a candle and place it between F and C. The flame of the candle
should be at about the same height as the pole of the mirror. Move the
screen back and forth till you see an inverted image of the flame on the
screen. What is the location of image and is it real, enlarged, and inverted.
Keep the candle at different positions and try to get its image on the screen.
What are the positions and characteristics of the image?
References
[1]
82

Demonstration 74
Rising of the Coin due to Refraction
Put a coin in an opaque vessel placed on a table.

Looking at the coin, move back your head till
the coin just disappear from the view. Then
ask someone to pour water into the vessel gently,
without displacing the coin. As the vessel fills
with water, the coin will rise into view.
Explain why this happens. Initially, the rays starting from the coin do
not fall on the eye. However, when the coin is below water, the rays bend
at the surface of the water and fall on the eye.
Variant: Place a pencil in glass of water. Why does the pencil look
bend? Drawing rays, explain why the pencil appears more sharply bent
when viewed at an angle? Because of refraction parts of the pencil in water
appear to rise up. When viewed from a side, apparent rise of the bottom
of the pencil is more and hence the pencil looks more bent.
References
[1]

83
eaa
Demonstration 75
Refraction through a Glass Slab
faa
Draw a thick, long line on sheet of paper. Place

a transparent rectangular glass or plastic slab
on the line in such a way that the longer edges
of the slab makes an angle of about 45 with the
line.
From different positions, look at the line
through the slab. First look at it vertically from
the top. The line below the slab will appear
raised. Now look along the line from one side of
the slab, with your eyes about the same level as
slab. The line on the other side of the slab will
appear displaced. This happens because the rays from the line get shifted
sideways on passing through the slab.
Try to see path of the ray through glass slab by using a laser torch.
References
[1]
84

Demonstration 76
Trace the Path of a Ray through Glass Slab
Let us trace the path of a ray of light through

R
a transparent glass slab. Fix a sheet of white
A
paper on a board. Place the slab at its middle.
B P
Draw the boundary of the slab, and draw a line
RP to meet one of the longer boundaries at P,
Q
at an angle. Fix two pins A, B vertically on
C
this line about 10 cm apart. Look at the image
D
of the pins from other side of the slab. Now fix
a pin C such that it appears to be in a straight line with the image of A
and B. Fix another pin D (at least 10 cm from C ) such that all four pins
appear to be in straight line.
Remove the pins and join by a straight line the points where the pins
C and D were inserted. Extend this line to meet the boundary of the slab
at Q. Join PQ. The lines RP, PQ, and QD represent the directions of the
incident ray, the refracted ray within the slab and the emergent ray after
the second refraction respectively.
You will find that the QD is parallel to RP. Also, it is shifted sideways
from the direction of RP. Note that the incident ray bent towards the
normal at P, as it moved from the optically rarer medium (air) to the
optically denser medium (glass). At Q, the ray going from the optically
denser medium (glass) to the optically rarer medium (air), bent away from
the normal at Q.
You can repeat the experiment, once for the rays passing through the
length of the slab and once, through the height. Verify that the lateral
shift of the ray is proportional to the thickness of the material of the slab
through which the ray passes.
References
[1]

85
gaa
Demonstration 77
Refraction Through a Glass of Water
haa
Cut two slits on a stiff piece of paper. Make it

stand by fixing it over a window on one side of
a cardboard box. Remove the opposite side of
the box and let sunlight or torchlight fall on the
slits to create rays. Place a cylindrical tumbler
filled with water in the path of the rays. You
will find that the direction of the rays change
after refraction. We use the refraction at a curved surface to make lenses.
References
[1]
86

Demonstration 78
Measuring the Focal Length of a Convex Lens
Take a convex lens. You can also use a magnifying glass. Face the lens towards the sun. Take
a small block of wood and place it close to the
lens such that the lens is between the sun and
the block. Slowly move the lens away from the
block. At one stage, a very small, bright image
will be formed on the block. The distance between the lens and the block
in this position is the focal length of the convex lens.
This method does not work for concave lenses. A concave lens forms a
virtual image which cannot be captured on a screen such as your wooden
block. Other methods are used to find its focal length.
References
[1]

87
iaa
Demonstration 79
Total Internal Reflection in a Dettol Bottle
tba
When light goes from a denser medium to a
rarer medium, and the angle of incidence is
larger than a critical value, called critical angle, whole of the light will get reflected at the
surface. If the angle of incidence is smaller than
the critical angle, part of the light is reflected
and part of it is refracted. In this inexpensive
demo we show the light paths as the medium changes and hence all phenomena on refraction can be visually seen. It is very simple and has been
widely appreciated wherever we have shown it.
Take a dettol bottle and fill water in it up to say three fourths of its
height. Put some common salt in it. Tighten the cap. Put on a laser torch
and send light from outside into the water obliquely. The front end of the
torch should be in contact with the thinner side of the bottle at a height
covered by water, and the incline of the torch should be adjusted by tilting
the torch with your hand. Adjust the orientation so that the light goes
parallel to the flat faces of the bottle, but at an angle to the surface of the
water. You should be able to see the path of the laser beam in the water.
If it is not clearly visible, invert the bottle for a second. This will bring the
salt sitting at the bottom in the whole water and make the path visible.
Slowly change the orientation of the laser torch and you very clearly see
the total internal reflection. If you make the torch closer to vertical, thus
decreasing the angle of incidence, the reflected beam will loose its intensity.
A spot will form on the opposite wall of the bottle above the water surface.
This tells that a part of the beam is getting transmitted. Now you put
smoke of an incense stick into the bottle. It will collect above the water
surface. Now when you send laser beam and if it gets transmitted to air side
the transmitted beam will also be clearly seen, though it will be hazy. So
for angles less than the critical angle you see both reflected and transmitted
beams, and for angles larger than the critical angle, only reflected beam is
observed.
Dettol bottle suites this demo because the walls are flat. This demo
can be extended to informal lab, by encouraging students to adjust the
torch for grazing angle refraction and measuring the inclination angle from
vertical which is also the normal to the surface. This angle is the critical
angle.
88
References
89
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp1.htm
Demonstration 80
Focal Length of a Parabolic Reflector!
zca
NWUPT 2014, Chandrasekhar Rao
90
Demonstration 81
Laws of Reflection of Light!
Introduction: The Laws of reflection are (1)

The incident ray, reflected ray and normal remains in a plane (2) The angle of incidence and
angle of reflection are equal. These laws are introduced at middle school level. Students find
it difficult to comprehend involved three dimensional geometry.
Procedure: Place the plane mirror vertically on the table. Place a laser
torch at some height h1 in front of the mirror so that light falls on the
mirror traversing a path in horizontal plane. Locate the spot made by the
reflected beam and measure its height h2 .
Discussion: Check that h1 = h2 . Since the source is at height h1 and
incident ray is in horizontal plane, the point of reflection should be at that
same height. As the mirror is vertical, the normal lies in the horizontal
plane at height h1 . This shows that incident ray, reflected ray and normal
lies in same plane (horizontal plane in this case).
Variant: Take a transparent plastic box of approximate size approx
12 in by 18 in by 6 in. Paste a plane mirror on one of the vertical face
(from inside the box) with the help of adhesive (quickfix etc). Make a
small hole to push a incense stick (dhoop, agarbatti). A big protector
placed on the top can be used to measure angle. You can mark horizontal
lines on the mirror so that height of the spot where incident ray strikes is
known. This setup can be used to show both laws of reflection.
91
eda
Demonstration 82
To Deduce Refractive Index of a Glass Slab
iea
Equipments: Transparent glass slab, playing cards.

Parallax: If two objects A and B are separated from each other and we
see from a position C along line AB, it appears to us that two are touching
each other and we are not able to see them as separate object. However,
if we shift our eyes towards left, the two will look separated. If we do not
have depth perception, object A will look towards left and B towrads right.
Similarly, if we shift the eye towards right, the object appears separated, A
towards right and B towards left. If the two objects A and B are actually
at same place then they always appear in contact wherever you move your
eyes.
Procedure: Draw a line on a sheet of paper. Place it on a table and put
a transparent glass slab over it. The longest side of the slab should be
vertical. Mark similar line on another paper sheet. Put some blank cards
(sheets) on the table adjacent to the slab and on the top of this stack put
the marked sheet. Looking from the above, the two lines should be in the
same line. Insert or remove sheets from the stack to adjust the height so
that no PARALLEX remains between the two lines, one as seen through
the slab and other on top of the stack. In this situation, the depth of the
stack is same as the image of the line formed by the slab. Thus, you can
measure the apparent depth (ha ) and real depth hr of the line. Calculate
the refractive index of the glass by using = hhar .
Variant: You can find refractive index of water by using a glass filled
with water instead of glass slab.
92
Demonstration 83
To Visualize a Light Ray
Introduction: The phenomenon of light are discussed at school level.

Entire discussion is mostly indirect. Students never sees the light ray.
Equipments: Transparent plastic box, laser torch, incense stick.
Procedure: Take a plastic box with its lid open. Put some smoke in the
box using an incense stick. Close the lid. Keep a laser torch just outside
the box. Send laser light into the box from one side. You see the light
beam very clearly. This also shows that light travels in straight line.
Variant: You can sprinkle the dust from the duster used on blackboard.
93
jea
Demonstration 84
To Find Focal Length of a Concave Lens
nea
Objective: To measure the focal length of a concave lens.

Apparatus: Arrangement to fix the lens, Arrangement to fix the laser, 30
cm plastic scale, 5 ft tape.
Instructions: You are given a Laser and you can assure that it sends a
parallel beam of light.
If this light goes through the concave lens it will diverge, if you place
the screen at two different distances from the lens and measure a linear
dimension such as height or diameter or something else, you can get similar
triangle properties.
r2
IP + PB
IB
=
=
r1
IA
IP + PA
r2 , r1 , PA and PB should be measured in the experiment. From this you
can calculate IP which is the focal length. Do it as accurately as you can.
94
Demonstration 85
To Find Refractive Index of a Liquid
Objective:To find the refractive index of water and saturated salt solution.
Apparatus: The hollow prism, A glass tumbler, Chalk piece, Laser torch,
Clamp in which laser can be fixed horizontally, Measuring steel tape, Salt,
spoon and beaker, sin and tan table
Instructions: Glass tumbler is to be used as a stand for placing the prism
and the wall as the screen. Clamp the laser at an appropriate height so that
the beam can go through the prism placed on inverted glass tumbler. Make
arrangement so that the laser, without the prism, falls perpendicularly on
the wall. Prism may be placed about 1.5 m away from the wall.
With the laser switch pressed, and putting the hollow prism on the tumbler,
mark the spot on the wall. Put water in the prism so that the laser beam
goes through water. The spot will shift. Rotate the tumbler about its
axis to get the position of minimum deviation. Measure different distances
and calculate the angle of minimum deviation. From this calculate the
refractive index of water.
Make saturated salt solution and find its refractive index.
Write all the approximations that you have made and the estimate the
errors that could result from the approximations.
95
pea
Demonstration 86
To study the variation of image position for object at infinity with
incident angle
uea
Objective: To study the variation of image position for object at infinity

with incident angle.
Apparatus: A Light box giving two parallel narrow light beams, a concave
mirror, scale, graph paper, pencil.
Introduction: A parallel beam going parallel to the principal axis of a
concave mirror meets after reflection at the focus of the mirror. What will
happen if the parallel beam is not parallel to the principal axis?
Experiment: On a plane paper draw the position of concave mirror and its
axis. From the pole draw lines making angles = 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70
degrees with the axis. Place the light box on the platform showing the two
light beams. Treat this as a pair of rays. Put the concave mirror and let
the rays fall on it such that one of the rays goes along the line at 10 deg.
On the sides the rays will meet and then diverge. You have to accurately
locate this point of intersection. Normally the intersection is not sharp. To
get it we suggest the following. Put a graph paper and let the reflected light
go on it. Mark two positions on the either side of the intersection where
the gap between the two rays are equal, say 8 mm or so. The mid-point
between these marks should be the intersection point
Measure the distance v between the pole of the mirror and the intersection point using a scale. Repeat for other angles and make a table of
v and . Calculate the projection on the principal axis v cos and put in
same table. Draw a graph of v versus .
Write your observations from this table.
Acknowledgement: Based on SGM-IAPT Optics set
96
Demonstration 87
Where did the Coin come from?
Refraction of light shows up in many ways

in daily life. When light traveling in one
medium falls on the surface separating it from
another transparent medium, it bends according to Snells Law. This shows up in various
ways in daily life. In this experiment we give
one interesting way to feel this.
Place an empty steel glass on the table and place a coin at the bottom
of the glass at the center. Stand close to the table. You can see the coin.
Now go back to a position from where the coin just becomes invisible. Ask
your friend to put water in the glass. As the water is filled, at some stage
coin becomes visible.
As the light from the coin comes to water surface, it bends away from
the normal. Thus light which was earlier going from above the eye now
reaches the eye after refraction. This makes the coin visible.
References
[1]
UPT http://goo.gl/ENEyFb
97
fda
Demonstration 88
Polarization of Light!
ida
JCR!
98
Demonstration 89
Variation of refractive index with wavelength
Objective:To find the variation of refractive index with wavelength.

Introduction: Refractive index of a material varies with wavelength. The
relation is approximately given as = 0 + A
. The goal of this experiment
is to find 0 and A for water. To get the refractive index you will use a
water prism and get angle of minimum deviation. The relation between
sin
A+
refractive index and minimum deviation is = sin A2 .

2
Apparatus: A hollow acrylic prism, Red and green Laser torches, a plastic
box, Clamp in which laser can be fixed horizontally, Measuring steel tape,
Sine and tan tables
Information for the students: The glass tumbler is to be used as a stand
for placing the prism. And a wall is used as the screen. Clamp the Red
laser at an appropriate height so that the beam can go through the prism
placed on inverted glass tumbler.
Make arrangement so that the laser, without the prism, falls perpendicularly on the wall. Prism may be placed about 1.5 m away from the wall.
With the laser switch pressed by the clamp, and putting the hollow
prism on the tumbler, mark the spot on the wall. Put water in the prism
so that the laser beam goes through water. The spot will shift.
Rotate the tumbler about its axis to get the position of minimum deviation. Measure different distances and calculate the angle of minimum
deviation. From this, calculate the refractive index of water.
Repeat the same with green laser. Using wavelengths 525 nm and
672 nm get 0 and A.
Acknowledgement: Developed at Shiksha Sopan
99
yea
Demonstration 90
Variation of Intensity with Distance!
oca
This was demonstrated by Ms Smita Fangaria at Kolkata SRP. Take two

bulbs, of different power, say 60 W and 100 W. Take sheet of paper. Apply
some oil/butter at a spot. This spot becomes translucent. Put two bulbs at
some distance, say 1 m. Move the paper between two sources till intensity
on opaque and translucent part of the paper looks same. Measure the
distance. See whether I r12 .
100
Part IV
Thermodynamics
101
Demonstration 91
Burning Candle in Limited Air
Put a candle vertically in a plate. Light the

candle. The candle keeps on burning. Cover the
burning candle by an inverted glass. The candle
goes off. Now explain that the glass originally
had air in it and when covered only that much
of air was made available to the candle. This
air had some amount of oxygen and when that was consumed, the candle
went off. Now use two plates and put one candle each in them. Light them.
Take two glasses of quite different sizes (one may be a glass and the other
may be a glass jug), in the two hands and cover the candles with these
simultaneously. The candle in the smaller glass goes off earlier than the
one in the bigger glass. Explain that the bigger glass contains more air and
hence more oxygen. Now put one candle in one plate and two candles in
the other plate. Light all of them. Take two glasses of the same size in the
two hands and simultaneously cover the burning candles in the two plates.
The single candle lasts longer than the double candle. Explain that same
amount of oxygen was available in the two glasses but two candles together
was consuming oxygen faster than a single candle.
This is a slight modification of the famous experiment given in most of
the science textbooks for lower classes to demonstrate that there is 21%
oxygen in air. We havent put water in the plate in this experiment.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exph5.htm
103
qba
Demonstration 92
Why Does Water not Fall?
sba
To show that air exerts pressure, science textbooks at lower classes describe an activity where
a drinking glass is filled to the brim with water,
is covered by a cardboard and then inverted.
The demo consists of seeing that the cardboard
does not fall. The explanation is that air exerts
force on the cardboard from below and this force
is more than that exerted on the cardboard by
the water. So the card is pushed up and does
not fall. The present demo is a slight modification in this famous activity
wherein the water is not filled up to the brim and then it becomes a demo
for Boyles law.
Take a drinking glass and fill it up to about half with water. Put a
plane cover on the glass. You can use a cardboard, or a plastic cover or
any other plane cover. Hold the cover by pressing from top with one hand
and invert the glass. Gently remove the hand from the cover. The cover
does not fall and holds the water in the glass.
The upper portion of the glass contains air and hence presses the water
down. The force on the cover due to water is A(P1 + hg); where A is the
area in the upper portion of the glass, h is the height of the water column
and is the density of water. From the bottom the force is P0 A; where P0
is the atmospheric pressure. The fact that the card does not fall tells that
P1 < P0 . How did P1 become smaller than P0 ? When you covered the
glass, the air trapped was at the atmospheric pressure P0 . It is the same
air that is now in the upper portion (provided you have not allowed air to
leak out or leak in during inverting the glass) the volume of air should be
the equal to (volume of glass)- (volume of water). If both remain the same,
the volume of water should remain the same. The temperature is anyway
the same. So from P V = nRT , the pressure should remain the same, that
is P0 .
But it does not remain P0 . It becomes less than P0 . In fact the cover
goes slightly down when the glass is inverted. If it is a cardboard cover, it
may buldge at the centre. If it is plastic cover, it goes slightly down and
there is a water slice between the glass and the cover. This you can verify
by slightly tapping the cover horizontally. You will find that the cover
moves quite smoothly. This shows that it is not rubbing the glass surface.
Here surface tension also has to play a role.
As the cover goes slightly down, the volume of air in the upper portion
increases. This decreases in pressure according to the Boyles law and the
water column stays in equilibrium.
104
References
105
Sometimes few drops of water may go out while inverting. If air has
not gotten into the glass in this period, the volume of air will increase and
hence the pressure will decrease. Sometimes few bubbles of air also gets
in. This happens when somewhat larger mass of water comes out during
inversion. In such a case right amount of air will go in which can maintain
the cardboard in equilibrium.
Variant: Do the same with holes in the card. Water does not come out
through the holes.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp6.htm
[2]
Video:
http://youtu.be/rkfIarmyzmY?list=
Demonstration 93
Own Thermometer
pca
Shown by Brajesh Dixit ji in Kolkata Meet.
106
Demonstration 94
Saturated Salt Solution
Objective: Make concentrated salt solution with 10 g of salt, and calculate

the concentration in g/ml of the solution at the existing temperature of the
solution.
Apparatus: Packet of 10 g salt, 500 ml of water, Beaker of glass, Stirrer,
Measuring Cylinder, Thermometer, Syringe
Instructions: The amount of salt is fixed and you have to put minimum
needed water to dissolved it. In case you fail at certain stage you may ask
for another packet of 10 g salt only once. Make as accurate measurements
as you can. Write the approximations, you have taken, errors that could
have gone, your efforts to reduce the error. Write the final value obtained
for concentration in gram/milliliter of solution. Estimate the uncertainty
/error in the measurement. Write the temperature of the solution. Presentation is yours. You have to plan for tables, headings, etc.
107
kea
Demonstration 95
Why does Water rise in Burning Candle Experiment?
rba
The experiment described in the first part is

very famous and is used by many teachers and
students to show that there is 21% oxygen in
air. In this demo experiment I will show that
the real physics of rising water is very different.
Put a candle vertically in a plate. Light the
candle. Put some water in the plate so that
a small lower portion of the candle is in water.
The candle keeps on burning. Cover the burning
candle by an inverted glass. The candle goes off and water rises in the glass.
How much water will rise in glass depends on the thickness of the candle
and how much time you allowed the candle to burn before you covered it.
Use a candle and cover it quickly after burning. As the candle goes off,
very small amount of water rises in the glass. It could be hardly 5% of the
volume of the glass. Leave this set up as it is and take another plate, put
a similar candle, pour water, light the candle and wait for some time. If a
fan is running nearby put it off. Now cover it with a glass of the same size.
This time water rise will be much more.
Now take the third plate and put two candles in it. Pour water in the
plate and light all the candles. Wait for some time and then cover both by
a glass of the same size as used in the previous trials. This time the water
rise will be very high, may be 40-50%.
What is the Physics of this rising water? When candle burns the air
surrounding the flame becomes hot. The flame itself is very hot gases. The
pressure of this surrounding air is the same as the atmospheric pressure as
all air is connected. As pressure remains the same and the temperature
rises the density goes down from the gas law P V = nRT . For a given
volume n will decrease if T increases. When you cover the candle(s) you
trap this less dense air. As the oxygen is consumed and the candle goes
off, the air (gases in fact) inside the glass cools down. As the number of
moles n is now fixed, decreasing the temperature will decrease the pressure
and this will suck water in the glass. In equilibrium the temperature in
the glass will be the same as the room temperature, the pressure will be
P = P0 hg, where P0 is the atmospheric pressure and h is the height
water rises.
If you cover the candle just after the burning, the air trapped is not
that hot. The density is thus not much lowered and hence on candle going
off the water rise is not much. On the other hand if you burn two content
in air. In fact for each oxygen molecule consumed, you produce a molecule
of CO2 among other products. Also the solubility of CO2 is lower than
108
References
109
that of O2 . So there is no question of decrease in pressure inside due to

consuming oxygen.
There is another factor that contributes in rising water in the glass. At
higher temperature the saturation vapour pressure of water is also high. As
the air in the inverted glass is in contact with water, it will contain saturated
vapour. When the candle goes off and the temperature falls, saturation
vapour pressure also decreases and some of the vapour condenses. This
also decreases pressure inside and helps in rise of water.
Note that water starts rising only after the candle goes off.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exph2.htm
Demonstration 96
Boyles law using a syringe and weights
cfa
Objective:To study Boyles law using a syringe and weights

Introduction: Everyone is familiar with Boyles law P V = nRT . You will
measure and vary P and V for a trapped mass of air and see how good
your system follow Boyles law.
Apparatus: A syringe with one end closed and some air trapped in it.
An identical extra syringe, Support system for keeping the syringe fixed
in vertical position. A pan suspended from the lower end of the syringe
barrel, known weights.
Information for the students: Suppose, you put a weight W in the pan.
The piston will slide down and will stay at some position. Suppose, the
pressure inside is P , area of inner cross section is A, Let the weight of the
piston plus the pan is W0 . Atmospheric Pressure = P0 . For equilibrium,
A
P A+W +W0 = P0 A or P = (P0 AW W0 )/A or nRT
= (P0 AW0 )W .
V
Thus if you plot 1/V versus W , it should be a straight line.
So, look at the volume with zero weight. Then increase the weight in
steps and every time measure the volume. Make a table and calculate 1/V
for each value. Plot a graph 1/V versus W .
The piston and the barrel will have some friction. The piston can stay at
different positions for the same weight. So you have to carefully determine
the volume corresponding to a given weight. One way is to pull the piston
a little and release, see where it stays while going up. Then push it a little
and release, see where it stays while coming down. Take the average.
110
Demonstration 97
Boil Water with Hands!
The objective is to realize that boiling point decreases with decreasing pressure above the liquid surface. Equipment needed are a heater, a
conical flask with tightly fitting stopper.
Boiling point of a liquid depends on the pressure above its surface. Lower the pressure, lower
is the boiling point. Thus you can boil water at
a temperature much below the normal boiling
point if the pressure above its surface is reduced.
In this demo we do precisely this. The demo is
very interesting and catches attention of everyone around.
Take some water in a conical flask (say half the volume). The flask
should be of good quality. I have done the experiment with Borosil flasks.
Put the flask on a heater. Let it boil for about 5 minutes. Put off the
heater. Now carefully hold the flask from its neck by using a handkerchief
and put stopper in it as early as possible.
The water stops boiling because it is no more on heater. Put some
cold water on the flask, especially on the empty portion. The water starts
boiling in the flask. Wait for about a minute and the boiling stops. Again
put cold water on the flask. The water in the flask again starts boiling.
You can repeat this several times.
Why does water boil when cold water is poured on the flask? When
initially you boiled the water on the heater, there was no stopper. Vapour
generated during boiling replaced air and there was largely only the vapour
above the water in the flask. At this stage you fitted the stopper tightly
which closed any possibility of air entering the flask.
The water has cooled down a little by this time and there is no question
of boiling. Even at the boiling temperature it boils only when heat is
supplied to it which is used in conversion of water to vapour. You poured
cold water at this stage. The vapour condensed to water as a result of
cooling due to cold water. This greatly reduced the pressure inside the
flask. At such a low pressure, the boiling point of water is quite low and the
existing temperature of water is much larger than this new boiling point.
Thus water starts boiling and coverts to vapour. The pressure inside again
increases due to this vapour. Correspondingly the boiling point increases
and the water stops boiling at a certain stage. Then you put cold water
again. The same process repeats and water boils.
Please take care of accidents. The heater must be a good quality and
you should check that there is no current in the body when the heater is put
111
vda
112
References
on. Handling hot water should be done with extreme care. Hold the flask
from the neck only using sufficiently thick layer of cloth (handkerchief).
While putting the stopper, the flask should rest on a firm surface. Though
you put cold water several times, the lower portion of the flask remains
hot. Dont try to hold it from there without checking.
Once the demo is over you may like to open the stopper. This seems
to be the most difficult task. Since the pressure inside remains much lower
than the atmospheric pressure, it does not come out easily. Heat the flask
a little and then take it out if it does not come with mechanical effort.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp4.htm
Demonstration 98
Cloud in a Bottle!
Place a splash (1 teaspoon) of water into the

plastic bottle. Light the match and make sure
it is burning well, then drop it into the bottle.
Quickly screw the cap on, and squeeze the bottle with your hand five or six times (for larger
bottles you may have to do it slightly more). You should see a cloud form
in the bottle, then magically disappear when you squeeze it. Pass the
bottle around the audience to give everyone a chance to experience it for
themselves.
Clouds are formed when water droplets in the air cool and then collect
on dust particles. In this demonstration, the dust particles were provided
by the smoke from the match. The air inside the bottle was cooled by
releasing the pressure after the bottle was squeezed. The temperature is
changed by squeezing the bottle: the amount of air within the bottle is
constant, but squeezing the plastic bottle changes the volume of the gas.
Expanding the bottle causes a lowering of the air temperature in this case,
enough to cause the water gas to form a liquid the cloud.
Try adding a small amount of food colouring to the water it can help
to increase the visibility of the effect.
References
[1]
Related
Source:
http://www.physics.org/interact/
physics-to-go/cloud-in-a-bottle/
113
xda
Demonstration 99
Measure dew point in your room
efa
Introduction: In the winter nights and early morning the grass feels wet
when we touch it. As the temperatures dip at this time, the amount of
water vapour present in the air saturates the air and further cooling results
in some of the water vapour to condense as a liquid to form the Dew.
The temperature at which the water vapour is just able to saturate the air
is called the dew point.
Once the dew point is known the relative humidity can also be easily
calculated by the relation:
Relative humidity = Saturation vapour pressure at dew point/ Saturation vapour pressure at the room temperature.
(Here saturation vapour pressure is the pressure exerted by the vapour
when the air is saturated by the vapour. Saturation vapour pressure has
been measured for various temperatures and tables are available which can
give us its value at the required temperature.)
What do you need: Two new steel glasses, cold water bottle, thermometer
What to do: Put the two glasses side by side.
1. Take out a cold water bottle from the refrigerator. See that water
has condensed on the surface of the bottle after you take it out of the
refrigerator.
2. Now fill one fourth of one glass with normal tap water and put a
thermometer in the glass.
3. Gradually pour some cold water in the glass and stir. See if there is
a difference in the shine of the surfaces of the two glasses.
4. If yes, note the temperature of water in the thermometer.
5. If not, pour some more cold water till you start noticing a difference
in the shine of the surface of the glasses. Note the temperature of the
water.
6. This is the Dew point of your room.
Why does it happen: Steel is a good conductor of heat. So the temperature
of the water inside the glass and the outer surface of the thin steel glass up
to the height of water quickly become same. The air in contact with the
surface cools down as it also attains the temperature of the surface. When
the temperature falls just below the dew point, vapour starts condensing
and small droplets of water collect on the glass surface making it look a
little foggy. So a careful comparison of the shininess of the two glasses, one
with the cold water and the other empty, gives a fair measure of the dew
point.
114
Demonstration 100
Coffee cup calorimetry
Introduction: According to the laws of nature heat is transferred from a

hot body to a cold body when they are brought in contact. The transfer
of heat continues till they attain same temperature . The amount of heat
loss incurred by the hot body is equal to the amount of heat gained by the
colder body. This is also referred to as the Principle of Calorimetry.
Here a thermocol cup is used as a container to do the calorimetery and
estimate the specific heat capacity of aluminium.
What do you need: Coffee heater, thermocol cup, thermocol lid, aluminium
block , water, weighing balance, thermometer
What to do:
1. Measure the mass of the aluminium block using the weighing balance
and note its mass as MAl .
2. Put the small aluminium block in normal tap water.
3. Measure its temperature and note it as T1 .
4. Now fill the coffee cup with 100 ml of water and put the coffee heater
in it and cover it.
5. Put the thermometer in the cup from the hole in the thermocol lid.
6. Switch on the heater.
7. When the thermometer shows 70 C (T2 ), switch off the heater and
remove it.
8. Quickly take out the aluminium block from the normal tap water,
wipe it and put it in the thermocol cup.
9. Close the lid and stir the water with the thermometer.
10. See the temperature of the thermometer falling till it becomes constant after some time. Note this temperature as T .
11. Using the formula of calorimetery find the specific heat capacity of
aluminium
MAl SAl (T T1 ) = Mw Sw (T2 T )
Here M w = Mass of 100 ml of water is 100 g (density 1 g/ml) and
Sw = Specific heat of water is 1 cal/g/ C
Discussion: The specific heat capacity of Aluminium estimated by this
method is close to the actual value. This is because thermocol is a poor
conductor of heat and also it is very light (less mass) so the heat transfer
occurs mainly between the water and the aluminium block.
115
ffa
Demonstration 101
See Convection Current in Air
pba
Take a kerosene lamp with some kerosene and

wick in place or a candle. Take a cardboard
box, like a shoe box. Place it in a way that
the opening side is vertical and is towards you.
Cut two holes on the top cover of the box so
that the glass covers of the lamp can be fitted
in these. Put a lamp inside the box below one
of the holes. One of the glass covers should go
through the hole and fit with the lamp. Let me
call this Cover-1. Put another glass cover in the
other hole. I will call it cover-2. Close any gap remaining between the glass
covers and the cardboard top cover.
Light the lamp, put it in place and close the box. Light an incense
stick. Where is the smoke going? It goes up. That is the natural tendency
of smoke. Put the stick near the glass cover-1. The smoke goes up. Now
put the stick near the glass cover-2. Here is the real climax. The smoke is
pulled down into the glass cover-2 and it come out from the glass cover-1.
Why is the smoke dragged into the glass cover against its natural tendency to go up? This is because the burning wick of the lamp produced
hot gases which rose up and went out through the glass cover-1. To fill the
void, air should rush in. The only path available for fresh air is through the
glass cover-2. So convection current is set up where air from outside goes
into cover-2, goes into the box, and then to the wick area. The hot gases
formed there go up and come out of cover-1. When the stick is placed near
the cover-2, smoke is dragged by the air current that already exist there.
The flow path of smoke is just the path of convection current.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exph5.htm
[2]
Video:
http://youtu.be/5ntWE73Dcuc?list=
116
Demonstration 102
Conduction of Heat
Take a rod or flat strip of a metal, say of aluminium or iron. Fix a few small nails on the
strip with the help of wax. These pieces shall
be at nearly equal distances. Clamp the rod to
a stand. If you do not find a stand, you can put
one end of the rod in between bricks. Now, heat
the other end of the rod and observe.
What happens to the nails? Do these begin to fall? Which nail fall
first? Do you think that heat is transferred from the end nearest to the
flame to the other end?
References
[1]
Video:
http://youtu.be/7Wv40DH7nQ0?list=
117
bca
Demonstration 103
Solar Heating
bba
Take two cardboard boxes of the same size.

Paint the inner walls of one white and paint
the other black. Cover the top of the box with
glass and keep the boxes in the sun. The glass
tops will allow sunlight to enter the boxes. After 15 minutes or so, check the temperature of
each box. You will find the box with black inner
walls is at a higher temperature.
Alternate: You can do this activity by painting outer walls of cold drink cans.
References
[1]
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science Physics for Class 10 (4th

ed.), Page 115, Bharati Bhawan, 2011
118
Demonstration 104
Boiling Water in Paper Cup
wda
You can boil water in a cup made of paper.

Make a paper cup and fill it with water. Place
this cup on the flame carefully. You will be surprised that paper does not burn. Slowly water
temperature increases and it may start boiling.
This demo explain conduction of heat.
References
[1]
Related Source: PDF File http://goo.gl/QjSbmM
119
Part V
Electromagnetism
121
Demonstration 105
The Rotating Straw
vba
As we know, by rubbing or induction electric
charge can be produced. By combing your hair
you must have tried to attract small pieces of
paper. You must also be knowing that charges
are of two types - positive charge and negative
charge. Like charges repel while unlike charges
attract each other. We shall see this with the
help of an interesting experiment.
Take a plastic bottle whose cap is plane.
Take two drinking straws and by holding them
from one end rub them well two or three times with the help of a handkerchief. Now, place one of the straws on the top of the bottle cap in such a
manner that it remains parallel to the ground and its middle portion sits
on the top of the cap. Now take the other straw, holding it from one end
bring it near the first straw. As soon as the second straw is brought near
the straw resting on the bottle, the latter moves away from the former by
rotating on its resting point. If we keep moving the hand held straw in a
circular manner towards the straw on the bottle cap, the latter also continuously keeps getting away. While doing so it also rotates presenting a
very interesting view of repulsion. Now, instead of the second straw bring
the handkerchief which was used for rubbing the straws, towards the first
straw. The first straw now starts getting attracted towards the handkerchief. Moving the handkerchief away from the straw in a circular manner,
the straw also keeps moving towards the handkerchief while making a circular rotation.
When both the straws are rubbed with a handkerchief, the same kind
of charge is developed in them while the opposite charge is produced in the
handkerchief. In the first case, as both the straws hold the same kind of
charge they repel each other and so the straw resting on the bottle moves
away from the hand held straw. In the second case as the charge on the
handkerchief has a sign opposite to that on the straw, the handkerchief
and the straw attract each other, therefore, the straw on the bottle moves
towards the handkerchief.
The place where the straw rests on the bottle the friction between the
cap and the straw should be least there, so that the straw is free to rotate
on the cap.
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References
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp7.htm
[2]
Video:
http://youtu.be/BC-FR3lO6UY?list=
Demonstration 106
Bending of Water Stream due to Electrostatic Charges
aea
This is an excellent demonstration for electrostatic charges. Make a small hole at the bottom
of a water bottle. Make sure that a clear stream
of water comes out when bottle is filled with
water. The hole should not be too small or too
big. Rub a plastic scale with cloth and bring
it close to the stream (near the top portion).
You will observe that stream bends towards the
scale. This demo shows the concept on induced
charges (water is a polar molecule) and electrostatic attraction.
References
[1]
Youtube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhWQ-r1LYXY
125
Demonstration 107
Electrostatics of Hanging Balloons
cea
This demo shows Coulomb attraction/repulsion

and concept of induced charges.
126
Demonstration 108
Which Direction is Electric Field?
fca
This experiment is based on this video of Dr. HC Verma: https://www.
facebook.com/photo.php?v=454642061280499&set=vb.100002041261681&type=
3&theater
References
[1]
HC Verma Video:
127
Demonstration 109
Direction of electric field
lfa
128
Demonstration 110
Electric potential in a capacitor
Objective: To study the variation of electric potential in a capacitor.

Apparatus: A plastic box with two aluminium plates which can be held at a
distance and parallel to each other, a battery or power supply, multimeter,
graph paper etc.
Introduction: The textbook talks of large parallel plate capacitors in which
the electric field is uniform in the space between the plates and is zero
outside. In finite capacitor, fringing of field makes the field look different
near the ends. In this experiment you study the potential variation in and
around the capacitor,
Experiment: Place the plates in the box and fill the box with water up to
about half the height. Connect the battery to the plates though a switch.
Connect the common of multimeter to the plate with battery negative.
Make the mode to be DC Voltage. Now wherever you put the other probe
of the multimeter, you will get the potential of that point with respect to
the negative of the capacitor.
Measure the potential Perpendicular to the plates in three regions (a)
near the middle, near of the length of a plate, (c) at the edge. Each
time measure it at a regular interval of say 5 mm and present the data on
distance from the negative plate and the potential there.
Measure the potential parallel to the plates in three regions (a) near the
middle, near of the width of a plate, (c) close to a plate. Each time measure
it at a regular interval of say 5 mm and present the data on distance from
the negative plate and the potential there.
Make closer observations close to the plates as there could be sharper
variation.
Draw graphs for these variations.
Questions:
1. Is the electric field components perpendicular to the plates constant
everywhere in the capacitor?
2. Is the electric field components parallel to the plates zero everywhere
in the capacitor?
Acknowledgement: Idea from textbook, verified by Dr. Sudeep Bhattacharjee, IITK
129
tea
Demonstration 111
Playing with capacitors made from kitchen Utensils
gfa
Introduction: A capacitor is a combination of two conductors separated

by a thin insulating material (called the dielectric). It can be charged by
connecting the two conductors to a battery. The charge required to create
a potential difference of 1 Volt between its conducting plates is called the
capacitance of the capacitor. In this demonstration we will make capacitors
with kitchen utensils and measure their capacitance in many combinations.
What do you need: Two similar flat bottomed steel thalis, wooden carom
board coins, three similar steel glasses, polythene sheet, newspaper
What to do: Thali capacitor:
1. Invert a steel thali and keep it on a table such that a small portion
of it is over the edge of the table.
2. Attach a crocodile clip from below to the protruding portion of the
thali and connect a copper wire to the clip.
3. Now put three carom board coins on the thali and place another thali
over it (face up).
4. Attach another crocodile clip to the upper thali and connect a copper
wire to the clip.
5. Connect the two copper wires to an LCR meter.
6. Measure its capacitance.
7. Put a newspaper in the gap between the two thalis and again measure
its capacitance.
The capacitance shows a value in picofarads which increases when a
newspaper is inserted in the air gap
Glass capacitor:
1. Wrap a steel glass (glass 2) with a polythene sheet and put it inside
another steel glass(glass 1)
2. Attach crocodile clips with copper wires connected to them to the
rims of the two glasses.
3. Connect the two copper wires to the LCR meter and measure the
capacitance(call it C1 )
4. Wrap another glass(glass 3) in a polythene sheet and put it inside
glass 2
5. Attach crocodile clip with copper wire connected to it to the rim of
glass 3
6. Now connect the wires of glass 1 and glass 3 to the LCR meter. Leave
the wire of glass 2 free.
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7. Measure the capacitance(call it C2 )
8. Connect the wires of glass 1 and 3 and measure the capacitance between this common terminal and glass 2(call it C3 )
See that the capacitance C2 is almost half the capacitance C1 and the
capacitance C3 is almost double the capacitance C1 . All the capacitances
measured are in picofarads.
Why does it happen: In the arrangement made with the thalies, the steel
thalis are the two conductors and placing carom board coins creates an air
gap which acts as the dielectric. Hence the arrangement acts as a capacitor.
Putting paper in the air gap increases the capacitance as the dielectric
constant of paper is bigger than air. Capacitance C of the capacitor is
given by the expression
C = K0 A/d
Where 0 is the permittivity of free space, A is the area of the conductors,
d is the distance between the two plates and K is the dielectric constant of
the dielectric between the conductors. For air K = 1 and for paper K > 1.
In the arrangement made with steel glasses, the steel glasses are the
two conductors and the polythene acts as a dielectric. Hence it becomes
a capacitor. The capacitance C2 is almost half of C1 as the arrangement
makes it a series combination of two almost identical capacitors. The capacitance C3 is double of C1 as the arrangement this time makes it a parallel
combination of two capacitors.
The equivalent capacitance Ceq of N identical capacitors each of capacitance C is given by, Ceq = N C in series combination and Ceq = C/N in
parallel combination.
Demonstration 112
Charging and discharging capacitors
hfa
Introduction: Capacitor is a very important component of many devices.

When connected to a battery, the capacitor stores electrostatic energy.
This energy is in the form of charge on its plates which raises the potential
difference between the plates. When required, this capacitor can release
this stored energy and gets discharged.
What do you need: Two capacitors of high capacitance say 1000 F, a
high value resistor say 30 k, a LED, a 9 V battery.
What to do:
1. Connect the capacitor to the battery through the resistor.
2. Since the capacitor is electrolytic capacitor, see that the positive of
the capacitor is connected to the positive of the battery.
3. Allow it to charge for more than a minute.
4. Now remove the battery and connect the capacitor to an LED through
the resistor. Again remember to put the positive of the capacitor to
the longer lead of the LED.
5. See that the LED glows very brightly, but gradually the brightness
becomes less. Note the time for which the LED glows quite brightly.
This gives a rough estimate of the time constant. See how much it
differs from the product of RC.
6. Now repeat the whole process with two capacitors in series.
7. Note the time constant for this. See that the measured time constant
is less
8. Again repeat the process with two capacitors in parallel
9. Note the time constant. See that the time constant has increased.
Why does it happen: When a capacitor in series with a resistor is connected to a dc source, opposite charges get accumulated on the two plates
of the capacitor. We say the capacitor gets charged. The time taken to
charge it to 63% of the maximum charge is called the time constant of the
capacitor. It is equal to the product of capacitance and resistance. If the
value of the capacitance and resistance is large, the time constant is large
enough to be measurable easily without the use sophisticated instruments.
If this capacitor is now disconnected from the power supply and its
plates are connected to a LED through the resistor, the capacitor will get
discharged. In this process a current flows through the LED and it glows.
In one time constant t = RC, 63% of the total charge of the capacitor is
neutralized and the current drops to 37% of the maximum. The intensity
of the glow of the LED is maximum in the beginning and then gradually
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decreases. In one time constant the glow decreases significantly. This time
can be roughly estimated by us and it gives a fair idea of the time constant.
When two capacitors are put in series, capacitance decreases so the time
constant decreases. When two capacitors are put in parallel, capacitance
increases so the time constant increases.
Demonstration 113
Verification of Ohms Law
paa
Take four or five dry cells, a thin wire (AB ),

V
a voltmeter, an ammeter, a plug key and some
thick connecting wires. Connect the circuit as
A
B
A
shown in figure, using one cell. The plug key
allows you to switch off the current when not
required. The wire becomes quite hot when current passes through it for
some time. This drains the cell as well. Therefore, insert the key into the
plug to switch on the current only when taking measurements.
The ammeter measures the current i through the circuit, and the voltmeter measures the potential difference V between the ends A and B of
the wire. Note these values. Now, connect two cells in series in the circuit.
You will find that the reading of the voltmeter increases, indicating the
fact that a larger potential difference has been applied across the wire AB.
You will also find that the reading of the ammeter increases as well. Note
down the new values of V and i. Repeat the experiment by connecting in
series three cells, four cells, and so on. In each case measure the potential
difference and the current. If you calculate V /i for each case, you will find
that it is almost the same. So, V /i = R is a constant, which is another
way of stating Ohms law. Here, R is resistance of the wire AB. If you plot
a graph of the current of the current i against the potential difference V ,
it will be a straight. This shows that the current is proportional to the
potential difference.
References
[1]

134
Demonstration 114
Series Connection of Resistors
You can use different kind of bulbs as resistors

V
in this activity. Connect three resistors of reR1
R2
R3
sistances R1 , R2 and R3 to an ammeter, a cell
A
and a plug key, as shown in figure. The three
resistors are connected in series. Close the key
and note the ammeter reading. Now connect
the ammeter between R1 and R2 and note the reading. Similarly, place
the ammeter between the other circuit elements and measure the current.
You will find that the value of the current is the same everywhere in the
circuit. So, the same current passes through the three resistors.
Now, connect a voltmeter in the circuit, as shown in figure. Close the
key and note the potential difference V across the series combination of
resistors. Then connect the voltmeter across R1 and note the reading V1 .
Similarly, connect the voltmeter across R2 and R3 , one at a time, and
measure the potential difference V2 and V3 across them. You will find that
V = V1 + V2 + V3 .
References
[1]

135
qaa
Demonstration 115
Parallel Connection of Resistors
raa
Connect three resistors (R1 , R2 and R3 ), an amV

meter, a cell and a plug key, as shown in figure.
Close the key and note the ammeter reading.
i1 R1
This gives the current i in the circuit. Now,
i2 R2
connect the ammeter in the branch of the circuit
A
that has R1 and note the reading. This gives the
i3 R 3
current i1 through the branch. Similarly, place
the ammeter in the branches containing R2 and
R3 , and measure the current i2 and i3 respectively. You will find that the current i gets divided into the branches such
that i = i1 + i2 + i3 .
References
[1]

136
Demonstration 116
Wheatstone bridge using electric bulbs!
uca
A wheatstone bridge is constructed using light

bulbs. When plugged in, the four outer light
bulbs light while the central bulb doesnt. The
same setup may be used to series and parallel combinations of bulb. This is a good demo
2
to eliminate misconception regarding P = VR
and/or P = I 2 R.
Hazard: Be careful while working with 220 V.
References
[1]
Video:
http://youtu.be/dQmC2PF9KhE?list=
137
Demonstration 117
Measure the Resistance of an Electric Bulb
dea
Introduction: An ordinary bulb has a thin

tungsten filament. The power rating P and voltage rating V of a bulb is quoted above the bulb.
The resistance of the bulb is found theoretically
using the formula R = V 2 /P . In this demonstration we find the resistance of such a bulb
using a multimeter and compare it with the theoretically calculated value. The results give an
insight into the temperature dependence of resistance.
Equipment: A 220 V AC source, 100 W bulb,
a bulb holder, a multimeter and connecting
wires.
Procedure:
1. Put the bulb in the bulb holder.
2. The two terminals of the bulb are now connected to the wires of the
holder.
3. Connect these two wires to the multimeter and measure the resistance
of the bulb. Note this reading.
4. Now calculate the resistance of the bulb using the specifications of
the power and voltage rating given on the bulb. Again note this
reading. Do you notice a difference in the two readings. Why? Is
the multimeter defective? Is the formula used for calculation of the
resistance wrong?
Discussion: The resistance of the bulb comes out to be 484 after calculations. But the multimeter reading shows a value of less than 50 . Well,
the multimeter is not defective which we prove by measuring a known resistance. The formula used is also perfectly right. But there is one thing we
miss in this whole exercise. Resistance of a conductor increases with temperature. When we measure the resistance of the bulb with the multimeter,
the filament is at the room temperature(about 30 C). But using the formula, the obtained resistance is the resistance of the bulb in full glow i.e.
when it is connected to a 220 V and has attained a temperature at which it
starts giving light. This temperature is around 3000 C. So the calculated
resistance is much higher than the resistance shown in multimeter.
The resistance of a conductor varies with temperature which can be
expressed as RT = R0 [1 + (T T0 )], Where RT is the resistance at the
temperature T and R0 is the resistance at the temperature T0 (generally
the room temperature), is called the temperature coefficient. The temperature coefficient of tungsten is 4.5 103 / C.
138
Demonstration 118
Magnetic Line of Forces
Fix a white sheet of paper on a horizontal surface and keep a strong bar magnet on it. Place
a small magnetic compass at various points near
the magnet, and note the direction in which its
needle comes to rest at these points. Figure
shows these directions at points such as A, B, C, D, E and F. The direction of the needle at a point gives the direction of the magnetic field at
that point.
Place the compass close to the north pole of the magnet. Once the
needle comes to rest, look from above, and with a pencil, mark the position
of the north pole of the needle on the sheet (i.e., mark the point closest to
the north pole). Now, shift the compass ahead in such a way that after the
needle comes to rest, its south pole is at the point marked for the previous
position of the north pole. Mark the position of the north pole of the needle
at the new location. Keep moving the compass ahead in this way till you
reach the south pole of the magnet. Then join all the points marked on
the paper with a smooth curve.
Repeat the whole process to get some more curved lines. Each time
start from a new position near the north pole of the magnet. If you draw
tangent at any point on these lines, the magnetic field at that point will be
along the tangent.
A line such that the tangent at any point on it gives direction of the
magnetic field at that point is called magnetic field line or magnetic line
of force. Figure shows some magnetic field lines due to a bar magnet. An
arrow showing the direction of the field at a point has been drawn on each
field lines. Remember that the field lines are imaginary. They just help us
visualize magnetic field.
You can see magnetic field lines with the help of iron fillings too. Place
a glass or clear plastic sheet over a bar magnet. Sprinkle some iron fillings
over the sheet, and gently tap the sheet. The iron fillings will arrange
themselves to show the magnetic field lines.
References
[1]

139
saa
Demonstration 119
Motion of Charged Particles in Magnetic Field
eea
Introduction: When charged particles move

in a magnetic field they experience a force.This
force is referred to as the magnetic Lorentz force
and acts perpendicular to the motion of the particle. When this topic is taught, the above mentioned charged particles are taken to be electrons, protons or alpha particles and the students have to visualize their
motion when they are projected in the magnetic field. In this demonstration ions of an electrolyte are made to move in the magnetic field of a
permanent magnet. The design allows the whole liquid mass to move in
circular motions which can be seen.
Equipments:A flat bottomed round plastic/glass cap of around 2 inch
diameter or a petri dish, crocodile clips, salt water, battery eliminator,
ring magnet, copper wires.
Procedure:
1. Keep the plastic cap on the ring magnet.
2. Then remove the enameling of around 7 inch copper wire and put it
just inside the periphery of the cap.
3. Connect the copper wire to the negative terminal of the battery eliminator with the help of a crocodile clip. Pour salt water in the plastic
cap so that the copper wire gets immersed in it.
4. Now connect the positive terminal of the battery eliminator to a
crocodile clip with the help of a copper wire.
5. Hold this crocodile clip vertically in the centre of the plastic cap such
that a small metal portion of the clip is inside the salt water.
6. Switch on the battery eliminator and apply a voltage of 6 V.
See that the salt water in the plastic cap gradually starts rotating in clockwise direction. After a while the water becomes dark and the rotation is
much more visible. Interchange the terminals of the battery eliminator.
See that the water now starts rotating anticlockwise direction. Now invert
the ring magnet under the cap, water starts rotating again in clockwise
direction.
Discussion: The arrangement made in the plastic cap makes it a voltameter. The salt water acts as the electrolyte. Copper wire which is at the
periphery and the metal portion of the crocodile clip, act as the two electrodes. The sodium chloride in water becomes ionized. When the power
is switched on, a radial electric field is set up and the sodium and chloride
ions start drifting in the influence of this field. The ring magnet below
the cap produces a magnetic field in the vertical direction. The ions are
moving in the horizontal plane of water. So their motion is perpendicular
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141
to the magnetic field. They experience a force which causes them to move
in a circular path. This tendency of the ions to move in a circular path
causes the whole water mass to rotate with it.
Magnitude of the magnetic Lorentz force F on charged particles moving
perpendicular to the magnetic field is given by F = qvB, where q, v and
B are the magnitudes of charge, velocity and magnetic field respectively.
This force provides the centripetal force to make the charged particle move
in circular path.
Demonstration 120
Magnetic Effect of Current
taa
Place a magnetic compass on a plastic or

wooden block, away from all magnetic material.
When the compass needle comes to rest, fix a
wire over the compass, parallel to the needle.
Connect the wire to a battery through a switch,
as shown in figure. Close the switch to pass a
current through the wire. The compass needle
will get deflected, and comes to rest at right angles to its original position.
If the direction of the current is from south to north, the north pole of the
needle will come to rest pointing west.
Now, hold the compass above the wire. The needle will get deflected in
the opposite direction. The direction of deflection will also change if you
reverse the direction of the current in the wire by interchanging the battery
connections. If you switch off the current in the wire, the needle will go
back to its original position.
Make sure that you pass a current through the wire only for short period
of time (say, 5 seconds). Allowing current to pass through the wire for long
will heat the wire considerable and also drain the battery rapidly.
References
[1]

142
Demonstration 121
Magnetic Field due to a Straight Conductor
Fix a long stiff wire AB upright in a piece of

cardboard kept horizontally. Connect the wire
to a battery through a switch, as shown in figure. Use long connecting wires to keep the battery and the switch away from the cardboard.
Now, place a compass on the cardboard. Start the current by closing the
switch. The compass needle will get deflected, and its direction will show
the direction of the magnetic field at that point.
Mark the position of the north pole of the needle on the cardboard.
Shift the compass ahead so that south pole of the needle lies at the point
marked for the previous position of the north pole. Mark the new position
of the north pole. Repeat the procedure till you reach the point from
where you started. Join all the points by a smooth curve to give a field
line. Similarly, draw other field lines at different distances from the wire.
Draw arrows on the lines to show the direction of the magnetic field. If the
current is strong, say about 2 A, the lines will be nearly circular. If the
current is weak, it will produce a weak magnetic field. Then the earths
magnetic field will have greater effect on the field lines, and they will not
be circular.
If the direction of the current is reversed, the field lines will still be
circular, but the directions of the field lines will be reversed. This means,
the north pole of the needle will point in the opposite direction.
You can also sprinkle some iron fillings on the cardboard to see how
the field lines are arranged. While a current is passing through the wire,
gently tap the cardboard. The iron fillings will get arranges in concentric
circles, suggesting that the field lines due to a current passing through a
straight wire are circular.
References
[1]

143
uaa
Demonstration 122
Making of an Electromagnet
vaa
Wind a solenoid directly over an iron bolt or

nail, using 5 8 feet of thick enamelled copper
wire. (In these wires, the enamel coating acts
as an insulator.) Use adhesive tape to keep the
turns in place. Scrape off the enamel from the
free ends of the wire, and connect them to a
battery through a switch. Now, close the switch.
The bolt will attract iron and steel objects placed near it. If you turn the
current off, the bolt will no longer attract these objects.
References
[1]

144
Demonstration 123
Magical Swing
Connect the ends of a small, thick aluminium or

copper wire to two long, thin wires. Use these
wires to hang the aluminium wire from a support. Connect the wires to a battery and switch,
as shown in figure. Place a horseshoe magnet as
shown. The aluminium wire should swing freely
between the poles.
Turn on the switch to pass a current. The aluminium wire will move,
showing that the magnetic field exerts a force on it. Note the direction
in which the wire moves. Turn the magnet upside down to change the
direction of the magnetic field. Now, when a current is passed through
the wire, the wire moves in the opposite direction. The direction in which
the wire moves also changes if you change the direction of the current by
interchanging the connections to the battery.
(In this activity you can also use a disc or ring magnet kept below the
wire. And if you have a bar magnet, place it vertically, below the wire.)
Puzzle: This set-up can be used as an interesting puzzle. Ask the
students to find poles (north/south) of ring magnet by using this set-up.
This will eliminate very confusing Flemings right hand rule/ left hand
rule/ screw rule etc.
References
[1]

145
waa
Demonstration 124
Attraction and Repulsion between Current Carrying Conductors!
vca
Two parallel wire carrying current in same direction attracts each other and in opposite direction repels each other. Make two coils (radius 2 cm, number of turns 100). Hang these
with plane of coils parallel to each other. Connect both to a battery/power supply. See attraction/repulsion between them by changing direction of current.
146
Demonstration 125
Current detector
Introduction: If a magnet is kept near a current

carrying wire, it tries to align itself in the direction of the magnetic field produced by the current. This fact is used to make a device which
can detect currents. In this demonstration we
make one such current detector.
What do you need: A coil made of about 30
turns of enameled copper wire fixed on a plastic stand using amcil, A
magnetized needle, connecting wires and a battery (1.5 V).
What to do:
1. Suspend the magnetized needle in the middle of the coil with a thread.
2. See that, in equilibrium position, the needle, points in the north south
direction. Why?
3. Now connect the two ends of the coil to the battery.
4. The needle swings and comes to rest in a direction perpendicular to
the plane of the coil. Why?
Why does it happen: When current passes through a coil it establishes a
strong magnetic field which points in a direction perpendicular to the plane
of the coil at the center of the coil. So the needle swings in the direction
of the magnetic field.
Point of discussion: In the absence of the current in the coil, the needle
is visibly affected by the earths magnetic field but when current flows in
the coil, the magnetic field of the coil is so strong that the effect of earths
magnetic field on the needle is not visible.
147
mfa
Demonstration 126
Poles of a Ring Magnet
yba
Take a ring magnet. Hang it with a thread.

Find and mark the north pole and the south
pole of this magnet. Take another ring magnet
and do the same. Verify by observing attraction
between opposite poles and repulsion between
same poles.
148
Demonstration 127
Magnetic Shielding
bea
Hang a needle vertically by using a magnet with

physical separation between two. Place nonmagnetic material between the needle and magnet. Nothing happens. Now place magnetic
materail like iron plate. The needle falls down.
This demonstarte the magnetic shielding caused
by the iron plate.
149
Demonstration 128
Magnetic field lines for a given magnet
zea
Objective:To draw magnetic field lines for a given magnet.

Introduction: Magnetic field line gives the direction of magnetic field at
the points from which these lines are drawn. To get the magnetic field
direction, one can use a small compass which rests in the direction of the
resultant magnetic field (horizontal component). To get the field line due
to magnet only, one should ensure that the compass needle rests along
north-south direction. In this case, the torque due to the earths field is
zero.
Apparatus: A magnet, A drawing board or any board of size about 12 inch
by 18 inch A compass, Two A4 size paper sheets or an A3 paper sheet,
Two wooden stands with a long thread tying both, Cellophane tape
Information for the students: You have to draw magnetic field lines for the
given magnet. Place the paper sheet on the board and fix the corners using
the tape. Put the two wooden stands with thread stretched between them
at sufficient distance between them so that the drawing board can easily
rotate under the thread. Place the magnet in the middle and tape it.
Draw 8 field lines starting from one end of the magnet, 4 on each side
of it. Make sure, you make the compass in north south direction before
marking the end positions to avoid torques from earths magnetic field.
150
Demonstration 129
Force law between two magnets as a function of their separation
Objective:To explore force law between two magnets as a function of their

separation.
Introduction: The force between two magnets does not have a simple relation with distance. This is because both the magnets have two poles and
so four forces are involved for each magnet. And this depends on the geometry of the magnets. You will investigate the force between two cylindrical
magnets in a particular geometry.
Apparatus: A sensitive spring balance, a suspension rod, a hook with a
long cylindrical magnet A attached to it, a long plastic rectangular tube,
a magnet B attached to a long rod.
Information for the students: The spring balance is calibrated in newtons.
On this scale 0.1 Newton has a physical length of 1 cm. Fix up the suspension rod horizontally and suspend the spring balance from it. At the lower
end suspend the magnet A.
Fix the plastic tube around the lower part of the spring balance. The
magnet A goes into the tube.
Read the pointer on the balance. This actually gives the weight of the
magnet A. Take this position as X (force between the magnet B is zero).
Insert the magnet B in the plastic tube from below by holding the long
rod.
Gradually raise the rod and see when the sping balance pointer moves
up by say 1 division so that you can read it. The plastic tube has a graph
strip attached to it. Measure the facing ends of A and B on this scale. This
gives separation between the magnets. Note the reading x1 of the balance
pointer. X x1 gives the force between the magnets.
Make table to note the readings of magnet B on the graph strip and
the corresponding balance reading. From these two readings you can find
the decrease in separation between the magnets. Remember 0.1 newton of
graduation on the balance has physical length of 1 cm. The balance reading
(with X) gives the force. Make 8 to 10 readings till the balance reading
goes out of scale.
Draw a graph between the force between the magnets versus separation
between their facing poles. Can you suggest an algebraic relation between
the two.
151
afa
Demonstration 130
Effect of Temperature on Magnetic Materials
dda
A Magnet. Heater Coil. Attraction. Pass current through heater coil. The temperature of
heater coil increases and it looses its ferromagnetic properties. At this time, the magnet falls
down.
ViBha, Hyderabad developed this set up to
operate at 6 12 V. Made stand using a 4 in by
6 in piece of plywood. A 30 cm scale was fixed
on one end to hold thread attached to the magnet. A 15 cm scale was cut into two pieces and
these pieces are attached on the side of stand.
This become holder for heating element. The
heating element is a 3 cm piece of 1000 watt heater coil. Other things can
be fine tuned.
Hazard: Do not touch heating element when connected to power
source. It becomes red hot and may harm you.
Note: Dr Ajay Mahajan demonstration. Place a needle (paper clip)
close to the magnet with a little horizontal separation between them. Heat
the needle. The needle fall after when it become hot.
152
Demonstration 131
Faradays Law of Electromagnetic Induction
Connect the ends of a coil to a galvanometer.

Since there is no current in the coil, the needle
of the galvanometer will be at the zero mark.
Now, bring a bar or rod magnet sharply towards
the coil. The galvanometer needle will get deflected in a particular direction. When the magnet comes to rest, the needle comes back to its zero position, showing that
the current in the coil has stopped. Now, move the magnet away from the
coil. The needle will get deflected again, but this time, in the opposite
direction. This shows that the direction of the current has reversed. You
will also find that the direction of the current depends on the pole of the
magnet facing the coil while the magnet is moving.
What happens if we move the coil instead of the magnet? Fix the coil
to a wooden block, and move it sharply towards the magnet. You will find
that as long as the coil moves, there is a current in the coil, as indicated
by the deflection of the needle of the galvanometer. And if you move the
coil away from the magnet, the needle of the galvanometer gets deflected in
the opposite direction. There is no deflection, i.e., no current, when both
of them are at rest.
References
[1]

153
xaa
Demonstration 132
Inducing Current without a Magnet
yaa
Take a long nail and wind two coils side by side

over it, as shown in figure. The coils should have
about 100 turns of thick enamelled copper wire.
Connect one coil to a battery through a switch.
This coil is called the first coil or the primary
coil. Connect the other coil to a galvanometer or galvanoscope. This coil
is called the second coil or the secondary coil.
Turn on the switch while looking at the galvanometer. You will see
that the needle of the galvanometer gets deflected and then immediately
return to the zero mark, even while the switch is on. Now, turn off the
switch. This time, the needle will get deflected in the opposite direction
and then it will immediately return to the zero mark. The deflections in
the galvanometer show that a current flows for a short while through the
secondary.
References
[1]

154
Demonstration 133
Make a Galvanoscope
An ammeter is used to measure an electric current. You can make a galvanoscope to detect currents and also to compare two currents.
Take a magnetic compass and wind about 40
turns of enamelled copper wire around it. Use
tape to keep the turns in place, keeping the ends
of the wire free. The galvanoscope is ready. To
test it, connect the free ends of the wire to the
two terminals of a cell. You will see that the
needle gets deflected. The deflection of the needle tells you that a current is passing through the wire. Test an old cell
and a new cell, and note the deflections of the needle in each case. You
will see that the deflection is more with the new cell and less with the old
cell.
References
[1]

155
zaa
Demonstration 134
Generating Energy with a Turbine
aba
Cut small rectangular strip from a can to make

blades of a turbine. Make cuts on the edge of
a round plastic lid (cover) and fix the blades in
them with a glue, as shown. Fix a small length
of tube (from the refill of a pen) at the centre
of the lid. Slide its free end over the shaft of a
motor from a toy. If you blow on the blades of
your turbine, it will rotate, and so will the shaft of the motor. The turbine
will also rotate when steam from a kettle or a jet of water falls on its blades.
Since DC motors and generators are similar in construction, your motor
acts as a generator when its shaft is rotated. You will detect a current by
connecting its wires to a sensitive galvanoscope or milliammeter. With a
powerful motor, you will be able to light an LED.
References
[1]
Source: H.C. Verma, Foundation Science Physics for Class 10 (4th

ed.), Page 110, Bharati Bhawan, 2011
156
Demonstration 135
Three Pole Magnet
A magnet has two poles, north and south. The

three pole magnet is an assembly of two bar
magnets with similar poles connected end-toend. The two sides of assembly have same pole but middle one has different. This can be used to dramatize the things. Take two strong magnets
(preferably cylindrical) and tight-fit them inside a rubber/PVC pipe. Ask
a student to find location and type of poles of this assembly.
NEST 2014:
Objective:To draw magnetic field lines for a given magnet.
Apparatus: A drawing board , A compass, Two A4 size paper sheets or an
A3 paper sheet, Pencil, Eraser, Sharpner
Instructions: You have to draw magnetic field lines for the given magnet.
Place the paper sheet on the board and fix the corners using the tape.
Draw 8 field lines starting from one end of the magnet, 4 on each side of it.
Similarly, a mono-pole magnet assembly can be constructed by using a
strong and a week magnet. (Joga Chandrasekhar Rao)
157
eca
Demonstration 136
Put Me Off!
jca
Introduction: Current in an AC circuit depends on the circuit elements

of the circuit. These circuit elements may be the inductor, resistor or
capacitor or a combination of two or more of them. This demonstration
shows the dependence of this current on the inductance of the inductor.
What do you need: Inductor (Contactor coil), ordinary torch bulb, power
source (ac mains), cycle spokes and connecting wires
What to do:
1. Connect one end of the coil of the inductor to the bulb.
2. Connect the other end of the coil to one terminal of the ac mains
3. Similarly connect the other end of bulb to the other terminal of the
ac mains.
4. Now the inductor and bulb are connected in series with the ac mains.
5. Same current will flow through both of them. Why?
6. Switch on the power source and see the bulb glow.
7. Now your task is to put the bulb off without switching off the circuit
off.
8. Put one cycle spoke in the space of the plastic frame of the coil.
9. Do you see a decrease in the glow of bulb?
10. Put more cycle spokes till you do not see the bulb glowing anymore.
Why does it happen: We have made a series LR circuit connected to an
AC source. The impedance (obstruction to the current) offered by the
circuit is given by Z = [(L)2 + (R)2 ]1/2 , where L is self inductance of the
inductor, R is the resistance of mainly the bulb(neglecting the resistance of
the windings of the inductor coil) and is the angular frequency of the AC
mains. Increase in this impedance will decrease the current in the circuit
and hence decrease the glow of the bulb.
When we put cycle spokes inside the inductor core, the self inductance
L of the coil, which is dependent on the geometry of the coil and the
material inside it, increases. Relative permeability of material in the core
decides the self inductance. Earlier it was an air core inductor but putting
cycle spokes in the space makes it air plus iron core inductor. Relative
permeability of iron is much higher so the inductance increases. Increase
in this inductance leads to a greater impedance and a smaller current till
the bulb stops glowing.
An alternative experiment: If a capacitor (say 1000 F) is also included
in the series circuit making it an LCR circuit, there is an increase in the
glow of the bulb when cycle spokes are put in the core of the inductor coil.
Why?
158
References
159
References
[1]
HC Verma Video:
Demonstration 137
The Mother Coil!
xca
The mother coil can be used to show many

things. Some of these are (1) feel the presence
of strong magnetic field by bring a nail close
to back of coil (ii) Lifting of aluminium/copper
ring due to eddy current produced by electromagnetic induction (iii) the heating of alumnium/copper ring explaining losses due to eddy
current (iv) transformer (v) the AC motor when a magnet is placed in the
vicinity.
Adding a pinch of salt: We can ask students to measure voltage with
different number of turns in secondary. Also, how voltage changes when
secondary coil is lifted.
Extension: Connect a 100 and 1000 resistance in series and form a
loop by using a connector of appropriate size. Place the loop on the mother
coil. Use a multimeter to measure the AC voltage across one of the resistor.
Now take multimeter to other side and measure the voltage again. Why
there is a difference in measured voltage?
References
[1]
160
Arvind Gupta Video: http://youtu.be/C2MdEypP2L8
Demonstration 138
Force due to eddy currents
Objective:To find the force due to eddy currents

Introduction: When a magnet moves neat a conductor, eddy currents are
produced in the conductor. This current exerts a force on the magnet to
oppose the relative motion. In the given set up, you will be able to measure
this force in newton and find its dependence on the velocity.
Apparatus: An aluminum plate and a mica board both pasted with similar
paper, a strong magnet, glass slides to increase inclination, stop watch,
scale.
Information for the students: Suppose the aluminum plate is kept at an
inclination and a cylindrical magnet is allowed to slide down this incline.
Because of eddy currents, the magnet soon acquires a terminal velocity v.
As there is no more acceleration, Newtons second law gives, mg sin =
mg cos + Fe , where m is the mass of the magnet (given 6 grams) and
is the friction coefficient between the magnet surface and the paper on
which it slides. From this equation you can get the force Fe due to eddy
current.
(a) Find the friction coefficient: Use the mica board given. Put the magnet on it, and increase the inclination till the magnet starts sliding.
Determine the friction coefficient from = tan . Repeat at several
places and several time to get an average value. Remember you need
kinetic friction coefficient.
(b) Finding force of eddy current: Use the aluminum plate and keep it at
a certain inclination . Check that the magnet slides. If it does not,
friction is balancing the gravity. Increase the inclination.
Once it slides, measure the angle and the velocity v of the magnet.
Calculate the force Fe due to eddy current. Repeat for various values
of and plot a graph of Fe versus v. Can you suggest an equation for
this relation.
161
dfa
Demonstration 139
A Magnet Falling Through Conducting Tube
wba
When a magnet falls through a conducting tube,

changing magnetic field is produced in the volume of the tube. Not only field is different at
different places in the tube, it is also changing
with time at any given place. Taking the long
axis of the tube along the z axis, the field change
is largely in z direction. A field changing in z direction produces electric field in the circumferential direction. The electric field lines are circular, coaxial with the z axis. This field drives
an electric current in the circumferential direction. The energy is lost in
joule heating and this comes from the mechanical energy of the falling magnet. The magnet thus experiences an upward force slowing it down. The
magnet takes an extraordinarily long time to fall through the tube.
Take a strong, short, cylindrical magnet. These are made of certain
magnetic alloys like Niobium-iron-boron alloy. The size should be such
that it can easily go through the aluminum tube you will be using. Take
a similar looking piece of unmagnetized iron such as a nut or bolt and two
or three more small objects made of different materials.
Keep the aluminum tube vertical and hold it in one hand. Drop different
objects in the tube at the upper end and ask the students to estimate the
time it takes for them to emerge from the other end. If your tube is 1 m
long, it will take only a fraction of second and estimates will be difficult to
make. But they will have in mind that it is much less than a second.
Now drop the magnet in the same way. Students will be amazed to see
that the magnet is not coming out. It takes very long time as compared to
other objects. The time depends on the wall thickness of the tube and the
strength of the tube. For the tube that I use it is about 7 seconds, more
than 25 times longer than the other objects.
It is instructive to understand where does the upward force come on
the falling magnet. To the advanced students you can discuss the direction
of current in the tube. The current goes in circular paths on the tube.
Above the magnet it is in one sense and below the magnet it is in the other
sense. Suppose the north pole of the magnet is up and the south pole is
down. The current above the magnet is anticlockwise as seen from the top
and that below is clockwise. The axial component of the magnetic field is
outward in the portion above the magnet and inward below the magnet.
Use to check that in both cases the force is upwards. Is it possible to design
this experiment for balancing magnet in air? The answer is no!
Variant: Take a PVC pipe of approximately 1 m length. Make 1000
162
References
163
turns of insulated copper wire (SWG 36 is good enough) at multiple places

along its length and connect a LED (1.5 V) at these points. Drop a strong
magnet through the pipe. The LED will glow one after another as magnet
moves. Now place a copper/aluminium pipe inside the PVC pipe and
drop the magnet. The LED may not glow or become dimmer. Why?
This experiment may be further extended but requires some expertise in
electronics. Can we measure time interval (electronically) between glow of
successive LED. This can be used to measure variation of magnet speed
inside the tube. It can be given as project to electronics students.
Extension: Use solenoid in place of copper tube. Try with open and
close ends of the solenoid.
References
[1]
Source:
science/Exp5.htm
Demonstration 140
How to slow a Rotating Conducting Disk?
xba
There are many experiments demonstrating

Faradays law of electromagnetic induction.
Whenever a conductor is placed in a varying
magnetic field or it moves under a magnetic
field, emf is induced. If there are conducting
paths available, currents start in the conductor
which we call Eddy current. This experiment is one nice way to demonstrate eddy currents.
Mount the disc on the spindle of the motor. Connect the motor to
the power source. Switch on the power so that the motor along with the
connected aluminum disc starts rotating. Soon it will pick up a good speed.
Now bring a magnet very close to the rotating disc. A pole should face the
disc surface. The disc gradually slows down to almost a halt. Take the
magnet a bit away. The disc again picks up speed.
The free electrons of the disc also move with the disc. When the magnet
is kept near the rotating aluminum disc, the free electrons of the aluminum
disc below the magnet experience magnetic force causing a motional emf
in the conductor. This produces eddy currents in the disc. Energy is
consumed in these currents putting more load on the motor. So the disc
slows down.
This experiment can be done by placing a conducting plate below a
simple pendulum having a strong magnet as bob.
Variant: See also page 35.
References
[1]
Source: http://utsahiphysicsteachers.com/resourcematerial/
experiments/Electromagnetism/Slowing%20Al%20disk.htm
[2]
Arvind Gupta Video in Hindi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

DaRR740y8UM
164
Demonstration 141
Naughty Coil!
I saw this at SGM Kanpur. This can be used to demonstrate electromagnetic induction. This is also an interesting puzzle. Make two coils. These
coils are exactly same except that flux through one of the coil is zero (by
giving equal number of turn clock wise and anticlockwise). Connect these
coils in series and connect a galvanometer/galvanoscope. Moving a magnet
inside one of the coil shows deflection in galvanometer (electromagnetic
induction) but there is no deflection when magnet is moved in second coil.
This is a good puzzle.
165
wca
Demonstration 142
Visualize Alternating Current
qca
Shown by Amit Bajpayi in Kolkata SRP. Function generator with low frequency say 1 Hz. Connect galvanometer. The needle alternates.
166
Demonstration 143
To Study Effect of Core on RL Circuit
qea
Objective:To atudy the effect of core on the R-L circuit voltages.

Apparatus: A solenoid, Bicycle spokes, a known resistor, A 12 volt transformer with center tapping, Connecting wires with clips, Graph paper, 5-A
power socket with a switch
V
Instructions: In L-R AC circuit, the current is given by i = R2 +
.
2 L2
This assumes an AC source giving voltage of fixed rms voltage V. However
transformer has more complex working and the voltage supplied depends
on resistance and inductance in the circuit.
Make a series L-R AC circuit joining solenoid and the known resistance
with the transformer. Using multimeter you can measure the solenoid
resistor and also the AC RMS voltage on different parts of this series circuit.
The value of can be calculated from line frequency 50 Hz. You can also
measure the current i using the multimeter. Your multimeter may not
have AC current measuring option. But you can measure the AC voltage
across the given resistance and divide by the resistance get the current in
the circuit.
Connect the circuit and put the power on. Measure voltages across
the solenoid, resistor and the transformer secondary. Do it without any
core and then after putting some cycle spokes in the solenoid. Do it with
different number of spokes and give your data on how the three voltages
and the current in the circuit varies with number of spokes put in.
Make a graph to show the variation of transformer output voltage as a
function of number of spokes.
With no spoke in the solenoid, calculate the inductance of the solenoid
using the current equation given above. (This may not be the true inductance as you are using an ideal AC source equation.) The multimeter often
has display up to one decimal place. If it reads 2.2, the actual value may
be anywhere between 2.15 to 2.25. Calculate the range of uncertainty in L
value calculated.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you do not touch 220 V power points. Keep
the switch off when not making the measurements.
167
168
Demonstration 143. To Study Effect of Core on RL Circuit
About IATP
The Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) was established in the
year 1984 by the great visionary, (Late) Dr. D. P. Khandelwal, with active
support from some Physics teachers, with the aim of upgrading the quality
of Physics teaching and Physics teachers at all levels. It has now grown
into a major organisation with about 5000 life members spread over 1500
organisations throughout the country. All IAPT work is voluntary, no
remunaration is paid to its members for any IAPT activity. Visit www.
iapt.org.in for more details.
About Anveshika
Anveshika is an IAPT initiative to create centers across India where student and teachers can learn experiment-based physics and try out their
own ideas. Anveshika centres are established at different places within
the country under National Anveshika Network of India (NANI) initiative.
Anveshika is essentially an open ended laboratory where uncommon experiments are set up without constraints of any board syllabus or examination.
New experiments are continuously evolved as and when any idea strikes the
students or the teachers.
Sending Feedback/Suggestions/Correction
Dear readers/authors, we need your support for completeness and correctness of this book. You may send the suggestions/correction to Jitender Singh, via Email: jsinghdrdo@gmail.com or by post: ViBhaIAPT-Anveshika, H.No. 116, Nakshatra Colony, Balapur, PO Keshavgiri,
Hyderabad-500005. This book is in evolutionary phase. We are planning
to have new release on 1st day of each month. Please mention the version
for which you are sending the feed back.

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Physics Demonstrations Anveshika

National Anveshika Network of India (NANI)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Our sincere gratitude to,

Dedicated to those who appreciate Physics

Measure Speed of the Ant

How Much is One Newton?

Pull the Paper under the Tumbler

Balancing the Nails

A drop of Water Makes Slides Stick Together

Get Going Mug

Action-Reaction forces in Newtons Third Law

Check Newtons Law for interaction between two Ring

10 Resonance and Sound Waves

11 The Physics of Lever and Mechanical Advantage

12 Weightlessness with slinky

13 Which thread breaks first?

15 Lift a Weight by Moving another Weight in a Circle

17 Spring Potential Energy

18 Calibrating a Non-Linear Spring

Corrections/Suggestions to: jsinghdrdo@gmail.com

19 Linear Momentum of the Ball

20 Why Does it Goes Up?

21 Counter-intutive Centre of Mass with Bottle

22 Balancing the Scale on Fingers

23 To find Centre of Mass of a Rectangular Shape

24 To Find the Coefficient of Restitution

25 It is not Easy to Do Simple Movements!

26 Win a 100 Rs Note

27 Self Balancing Toy

28 Rolling and Kinetic Friction

29 Gyroscope from cycle wheel

30 To study the theorem of perpendicular axes in Moment

32 Gyroscope Using Toy Motor

34 SHM Phase and Phase Difference

Resonance in pendulum by hand

36 To Study Torsional Oscillation of a Rectangular Body

37 Why Balloons come Closer?

38 Why the fluid does not comes out?

39 Suspending a Cup by a Balloon

40 Keep the Paper Dry in Water

41 Push Water in a pair of Connected Syringes

42 Blow Air in a Long Air Bag

43 To find the atmospheric pressure using a syringe and

44 To measure the viscosity of water

46 Effect of Soap on Surface Tension

47 Rise of Paper (Welcome) due to surface tension

48 Pressure in Two Balloons connected by transparent pipe 52

50 Rising of water due to centrifugal force!

51 To study the extension-load characteristics of bicycle

52 To study torsional oscillations of a wire

53 Vibrations, Rerefaction and Compression in a Long Spring! 59

55 Compression and Rarefaction in Longitudinal Waves

56 Sound is Produced by Vibrations

58 Visualize your Sound!

59 The Phenomenon of Beats!

60 The Optics of Waves on Water Surface

61 Interference with thread!

62 Diffraction of light from a thin wire!

63 Interference in Ripple Tank!

64 Multiple Images with Plane Mirrors

65 Scattering of Lights of Different Colours

67 Dispersion of Light by a Prism

68 Tracing the Ray of Light through a Prism?

69 Advantage of having Two Eyes?