ERIC Number: EJ1257947
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-May
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Is It Simple to Explain Simple Experiments?: An Unusual Version of the Magdeburg Experiment with a Kitchen Blender
Ivanov, Dragia Trifonov; Nikolov, Stefan Nikolaev
Physics Teacher, v58 n5 p308-311 May 2020
There are many phenomena, interesting, simple experiments and effects, that await their in-depth explanation from the point of view of physics. Some of them have been well known for a long time but their numbers are increasing, especially with the introduction of new technology in everyday life. In this paper we consider a simple experiment that everyone can perform at home in their kitchen with a handheld blender and a glass of water. When the blender is turned on with the blade close to the bottom, it is possible to lift the glass without holding it in any other way. The explanation of this experiment, however, turned out to be unusually complicated, and we had to consider a large number of different effects. Some of the phenomena that seemed like favorites to explain the effect were ruled out through controlled experiments. The final (in our opinion) explanation turned out to be a variation of one of the famous early experiments in physics--the Magdeburg hemispheres. This experiment demonstrates that interesting physics effects can hide everywhere--even under a kitchen blender.
Descriptors: Science Experiments, Science Instruction, Instructional Innovation, Scientific Concepts, Physics
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A