Department: Physics

Swain Hall West, room 113

Discover the marvelous properties of sound in this room. Learn all about how oscillatory motion becomes sound and music. Play with standing waves on strings and a Chladni plate. See the waveform of your voice on a computer. Make your own piper and talking chickens!

Swain Hall West, room 117

The Sun has been a wonderful laboratory for fundamental discoveries as well as a source of technical innovations. Come visit the Sun Room for Discoveries to find out fascinating facts about how the Sun helps advancing studies of Einstein’s general relativity and gravitational lensing, discovering the neutrino oscillation, figuring out the nuclear fusion that powers all stars in the sky, as well as providing clean energy through solar panels.

Swain Hall West, room 108

Explore the powerful forces of electricity and magnetism in this demo room. Our Tesla coil, Van de Graff Generator, and Jacob’s ladder are just a few of the shockingly exciting toys-for-physicists you’ll find.

Swain Hall West, room 118

Discover the secrets of electronics and how it helps our research in physics and beyond. Speak with the physicists and engineers who push the limits of our understanding of the universe.

Swain Hall West, room 150

Ever gazed in awe at a rainbow in the sky or wondered at the marvelous effects of a prism? Through holograms, mirrors, lasers and fiber optics you’ll discover the astonishing properties of light and color.

Swain Hall West, room 109

The field of mechanics is rich with fun and engaging ways to explore linear and rotational motion. Be awed by the astonishing and counter-intuitive properties of ordinary objects when they’re moving, rotating, and oscillating!

Swain Hall West, room 103

Use your brainpower to win great prizes! Pit your skills against others by solving electronic puzzles, performing experiments with gravity, and testing your skill at boat building. Great fun will be had by all!

Swain Hall West, South Lawn

Come play outside where we’ve located the extremely hands-on demos which are too big to stay indoors! Learn about friction on the dry-ice bowling lane! Defy gravity with the Bernoulli Blower! Test your skill with the table-cloth pull! And much more!

In the event of rain, Outdoor Physics will move indoors to Swain Hall West, Grand Entrance Atrium