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Campus Life

Faraday Holiday Physics Lecture Will Dazzle the Adults, Amaze the Kids

Date

December 2, 2014

WHAT: Seventeenth annual Rutgers Faraday Christmas Children’s Lecture

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 7, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday for lobby demonstrations.

WHERE: Physics Lecture Hall, 120 Frelinghuysen Road, Busch Campus, Piscataway. Free parking will be available in nearby lots 53 and 53A.

fire extinguisher propulsion
Physics professor Mark Croft sends himself rolling across the room with a blast from a fire extinguisher.
BACKGROUND: The shows are based on the tradition of famous British physicist Michael Faraday, whose work in the early 1800s laid the foundation for the electric motor and electrical generation. His children’s Christmas lectures at London’s Royal Institution, which continue today, were designed to communicate to youngsters the excitement of scientific discovery during a season of joy and celebration.

Rutgers’ version is produced by Mark Croft, a physics professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, and physics support specialist Dave Maiullo. The demonstrations they will present are routinely used in university physics courses not just to inform students but also with an eye toward humor, exciting the imagination and emphasizing the fun in science.

smoke cannon
Physics demonstrator Dave Maiullo explains fluid dynamics with a smoke-ring cannon.

The shows are open to the public and free of charge. Early arrival is advised to ensure seating. Overflow seating will be available nearby in the T. Alexander Pond Science and Engineering Resource Center, room 111, with a video link to the show. The lectures also will be broadcast on the Rutgers YouTube page.

Further information, including images from past performances, driving directions and weather-related rescheduling, can be viewed at www.physics.rutgers.edu/~croft/FARADAY.HTML.