Crash Bang Squelch
Mar. 26th, 2006 11:30 pmLast saturday, I helped at Crash Bang Squelch, the CHAOS science week fair.
It was fun! I was demonstrating the bubble column, a big tall vat of water with air pumped in at the bottom, where you can see how little bubbles are round and big bubbles are flattened on the bottom with tendrils like Jellyfish.
Unfortunately, the physics behind this is fluids, so I read up on why it happens, but I didn't truly understand it, in the sense of knowing what would make it so and would would make it not, and possibly no-one really would. Understanding something is developing intuition for it, and having stories to compare it to things you're used to. But sometimes there is not good comparison, and I think wings are a bit like that: there are explanations, but none really capture what's really going on.
The kids were lovely, however. They were generally forward and polite, or shy. But easily taking turns, and not suffering from anything worse than overenthusiasm. I adopt the strategy of asking the eager one to show the next one, as you can't get it very wrong, and many seemed marvellously eager to help :) And some did seem interested, I think we may have made some new converts to science.
The biggest problem was every two minutes someone shouts "JACK! Be careful!" and I look round, and then realise that I'm ahead of the trend, and everyone under 10 is called Jack, so no longer can I assume anyone saying it is talking to me.
After we went to the postparty, where I met many nice people, and there was much gin.
It was fun! I was demonstrating the bubble column, a big tall vat of water with air pumped in at the bottom, where you can see how little bubbles are round and big bubbles are flattened on the bottom with tendrils like Jellyfish.
Unfortunately, the physics behind this is fluids, so I read up on why it happens, but I didn't truly understand it, in the sense of knowing what would make it so and would would make it not, and possibly no-one really would. Understanding something is developing intuition for it, and having stories to compare it to things you're used to. But sometimes there is not good comparison, and I think wings are a bit like that: there are explanations, but none really capture what's really going on.
The kids were lovely, however. They were generally forward and polite, or shy. But easily taking turns, and not suffering from anything worse than overenthusiasm. I adopt the strategy of asking the eager one to show the next one, as you can't get it very wrong, and many seemed marvellously eager to help :) And some did seem interested, I think we may have made some new converts to science.
The biggest problem was every two minutes someone shouts "JACK! Be careful!" and I look round, and then realise that I'm ahead of the trend, and everyone under 10 is called Jack, so no longer can I assume anyone saying it is talking to me.
After we went to the postparty, where I met many nice people, and there was much gin.