Toy Story

Since ancient times toys have exploited, knowingly or not, the principles of physics. They are simultaneously pure fun as well as a great segway to initiating physics discussions. It always amazes me how much the public in general, and kids in particular, are excited by physics toys and demonstrations.

Once in a while I get the chance to do some outreach with physics toys, such as at the E3 fair at RIT. This year it will be held on March 31. Most of the attendees will be primary school children. I am really looking forward to it, as in the past I have received a very enthusiastic response from the audience.

Here are some of my favorite physics toys and demonstrations (the sorting categories are approximate):

i)Toys based on rotation: rattlebacks, tippy tops, gyroscopes, daruma tumbler, somersault doll . You might enjoy this picture of two great scientists, Niels Bohr and Wolfgang Pauli having fun with a tippy top.

ii) Yoyo tricks.

iii) Toys based on levitation: the levitron and its horizontal cousin the halitron. Some cool effects based on magnetic levitation.

iv) Toys based on springs: the slinky.

v) Toys based on fluid dynamics: Cretan pottery. The toys and tricks start around 6:00min.

vi) Toys based on optics.

vii) Optical illusions.

viii) Liquid Nitrogen ice-cream.

ix) A nice potpourri.

A start on the literature on physics toys can be made with these sources:

i) The Historian's Toybox.

ii) Toys in physics lectures and demonstrations - A brief review

iii) Toys and physics.

iv) Physics Toys Effectiveness of Undergraduates’ Understanding Physics Principles

Before I close I cannot resist making a remark about how important 'play' is in physics research. If we are stuck with a theoretical problem, we are told to go and 'play' with the equations. This represents a process of manipulating and rearranging the symbols representing the physical system.

If we are stuck with an experimental problem, such as optimizing a laser for light output, we are told to go and 'play' with the laser's control knobs. Play thus seems to be integral to discovery and solution-finding in physics and probably in all of science if not in all of human endeavor. Artists and musicians certainly indulge in it.