Level 2

Dragonfly Muscles: Forces and Movement

Construct a flapping dragonfly with cardstock and elastic to learn about forces, force diagrams, and the direct flight muscles of dragonflies. Dance to compare the muscles that move your arm to the muscles that move a dragonfly’s wing.

This demo is part of the 2024 SOCK, The Wonders of the Dragonfly.

Dragonfly Flight: Vortices

Using wooden paddles to spin food dye in cups of glycerin allows participants to view the vortex that turning wings can create. The discussion is centred on the fluid dynamics of insect flight, particularly leading-edge vortices in dragonfly flight. 


This demo pairs well with Dragonfly Flight: Waves and Wing Movement. This demo is part of the 2024 SOCK, The Wonders of the Dragonfly.

Dragonfly Colours: Thin-Film Interference

This demonstration uses a bubble and LED light to illustrate the concept of thin-film interference. It centres a discussion on thin-film interference in dragonflies and asks participants to consider where they see reflection and refraction in their lives. As an extension, participants may find a natural object with structural colouration, such as a bird feather, butterfly wing, or beetle exoskeleton, and drop some rubbing alcohol on top to see if there are colour changes. 

Explaining Eclipses & Exoplanets

Display this demonstration to talk about eclipses, exoplanets and companion stars!

Planet Deformation

Construct a planet and watch how the rotation of the planet changes the shape!

Soda Straw Rocket

Construct a paper rocket and launch it using a straw to study forces and momentum!

Electromagnet

Learn how to make 2 versions of an Electromagnet. This demonstration can be used to explain the effects of a flowing current and magnetic fields! The 'easy' version involves a D battery and insulated wire while the 'intermediate' version uses a lantern battery, a switch, and insulated wire.

Rodent Reactor

Use mousetraps and ping pong balls to understand how nuclear reactors work.

Passive Pasta

Learn about "passive" cooking through this energy efficient workshop! Participants will make pasta noodles by using hot water and an insulated travel mug, and eat a delicious meal. Water molecules, energy, heat, isolated systems - these are only a few physical concepts introduced in this engaging demonstration!

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