PHY ICS - The Institute of Physics in Ireland

PHYSICS ON STAGE 3: The conference vii
Ireland takes a prize
The centrepiece of the Irish stand was a demonstration of the
Coriolis effect. Tim Roe, a retired physics lecturer from GMIT,
brought a model that splendidly demonstrated the effect
that’s responsible for causing the rotary movements of the
atmosphere associated with weather patterns. The device
even shows the different rotations set up in the northern and
southern hemispheres. Tim’s model deservedly won the award
for “most original demonstration of a scientific principle”.
Other countries’ demonstrations, in keeping with the show’s
theme, Physics and Life, included a full model of the workings
of the inner ear on the Greek stand and another illustrating
the principles behind the MRI scanner on the Belgium stand.
Broken hardware experiments
Many stands made use of materials that are commonly
available by scavenging old appliances, such as computers
and microwaves. For example, the Czech stand had a range of
experiments performed using items rescued from defunct
computer CD and hard drives – colour mixing, magnetism,
gyroscopes and the conversion of mechanical energy to
electrical energy were all demonstrated with this equipment.
These were just a few of the hundreds of good ideas and nice
tricks to be seen at the fair – far too many to mention here.
Performances and workshops
Time was set aside for performances, presentations and
workshops. The performances covered all areas of physics
with titles such as “Simple experiments on the physics of
vision”, “Food for life” and “Alice in quantum-land”. They used
a variety of methods from large-scale demonstrations and
theatrical performances to audience participation, all to
convey information about the principles of physics. The
workshops, which everyone was encouraged to attend,
covered topics such as “New resources for science teachers”,
“Training”, “Equipment”, “Performance in teaching” and
“Research links” – all areas that could result in improved pan-
European science education.
At the time of going to print the next European Conference for
Physics Teachers is planned to be called Science on Stage.
This will be held on 21–25 November 2005 at CERN with the
theme Science for Humanity. Details can be found at
www.physicsonstage.net.
Tim Roe and the Coriolis effect.
Vaclv Piskac recycling hardware.
A physics performance at POS3.
PHYSICS ON STAGE 3