Fog Globe: Golden Gate Bridge
Get a fog globe here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Fog Globe
Fog Globe: an ideal souvenir for a San Francisco winter- snow is very rare (1976 recoded one inch downtown) but prolonged fog marks the winter season. The “fog” in this globe consists of small glitter particles of uniform density that can be agitated into temporary suspension and then allowed to settle on the bottom giving the impression of dissipating fog. The particles settle out over the span of a couple minutes and at regular rate since they are fairly uniform and the drag force experienced by the particles depends on the size and weight of each.
Uplift Kinetic Spiral
The second generation of this amazing device is now available here:
From beuplifted.com: BUY NOW: Uplift 2.0
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Uplift and Uplift 2.0: a spiral kinetic sculpture under glass, mounted on precision bearings and powered by light. The rotation is propelled silently by a simple and elegant bidirectional motor- a disk shaped copper coil impels an array of six neodymium magnets, powered by a single solar cell. The included hand held magnet allows one to select the direction of flow.
THE RAYY Fine Jewelry
THE RAYY rings are 18k gold and made to order with the letters/word of your choice:
From RAYFORM technologies:
ORDER HERE THE RAYY ring
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
THE RAYY Fine Jewelry: computational caustic projection from the polished surface of a ring of white gold. Here the image of the word LIGHT is formed via a reflecting surface in a new process that utilizes the physics behind how light is concentrated into caustics, such as the bright interesting curves of light seen at the bottom of a pool. There are no letters engraved in the polished surface- instead the face of @therayy ring has a surface of slight but precisely calculated and constructed curves, designed to project a word chosen by the wearer when lit by a simple light source like the sun or a smartphone flash. This is not a hologram, but instead a new proprietary light redirection technology by the company RAYFORM.
Vintage VFD Tube Clock
Fully assembeld high quality clocks available here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: VFD Tube Clock
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Vintage VFD Tube Clock: before seven segment LEDs there were Vacuum Fluorescent Display tubes in which zinc oxide coatings emit green light when bombarded by electrons under high vacuum. A phosphor coated anode segment only illuminates if it and the grid (seen in close up) are both energized at positive potential. This clock features an eight digit IV-18 display tube manufactured in the 1990s and cofigured to power up via a USB cable - old tech meets modern electronics in an elegant acrylic case.
EDC Gyroscope
Precision machined stainless steel gyroscopic spinners avaialbe here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: EDC Gyroscope
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
EDC Gyroscope: a metal rotator spins freely within a gimbal arrangement and features precision bearings used throughout (1 ball bearing in core plus 4 micro-bearings in the intermediate ring). Spin up the center gyro and conservation of angular momentum will keep its axis of rotation pointing in a constant direction even as the outer rings are rotated to and fro. Precision machined from stainless steel- the ultimate spinner!
Illuminature RGB Book
Get Iluminature here, along with other RGB books:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Illuminature Animals
Also: Illuminature Dinosaurs, Illuminature World Atlas, and Illuminature Anatomy
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Illuminature Book: three books in one- the supplied absorptive gel filters transmit only a narrow range of frequencies (red, green, and blue here) and the inks on the page that do not match with the color range of each gel are revealed as dark images. This book explores 10 ecosystems from around the planet, and on every page red reveals animals seen during the day, blue shows nocturnal creatures, and green unveils the diversity of plant life. The art design is part of the RGB project by the CARNOVSKY design team (Silvia Quintanilla and Francesco Rugi) with informative biology written by Rachel Williams.
Uplift 2.0
This amazing device now available here:
From ArtofPlay: BUY NOW: Uplift 2.0
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Uplift 2.0: light powered kinetic sculpture with mesmerizing apparent translational motion due to rotation of a spiral element under glass and mounted on precision bearings. The rotation is propelled silently by a simple and elegant bidirectional motor- a disk shaped copper coil which interacts with an array of six neodymium magnets and powered by a single solar cell. The included hand held magnet allows one to select the direction of flow. A stunning creation for any windowsill by artist and inventor Tom Lawton.
Tension Suspension: Tensegrity Scuplture
I made this device from these components:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: heavy guage copper wire (for frame), inexpensive necklace chain (for connections), and hobby wire (to fasten chain to copper frames).
Check out these other Tensegity toys I've posted.
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Tension Suspension: an interesting take on tensegrity where one heavy wire frame seems mysteriously suspended above another. This sculpture features strings (chains used here to make it look more dramatic) in tension equilibrium, with the top wire frame hanging from the bottom frame by the strand in the center, and the other three strands in tension to keep it from tipping over. This configuration is related to the concept of tensegrity invented by Kenneth Snelson and made famous by the architect Buckminster Fuller in 1949.
Hybrid Kaleidoscope
High quality kaleidocsopes available here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Fine Art Kaleidoscopes
@physicsfun features a wide vatiety of kaleidoscopes (click to explore)
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Hybrid Kaleidoscope: the beautiful symmetry of multiple reflections in a unique design- part teleidoscope (image from spherical lens) and part kaleidoscope (image from colorful objects in viewing cell). Invented by the famous Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster (1781-1868), the kaleidoscope is an ultimate physics toy and entire field of artistic endeavor. This vintage find is labeled “C. Bennett Scopes for AKAG 1984”.
Reuleaux Rotor
This toy is availble from Amazon Japan and will ship to the US:
From Amazon.jp: BUY NOW: Reuleaux Rotor Wodden Toy
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Reuleaux Rotor: this famous curve of constant width, the Reuleaux triangle, can rotate such that at all times it remains in contact with all four sides of a square. As demonstrated by this wooden toy from Japan, the rotor covers approximately 98.77% of the area of the square, missing only the sharp corners. The curves in the corners are in the shape of an elliptical arc. Fun fact: a Reuleaux triangle has a perimeter equal to pi times its width- just like a circle!
Slow Dance
This finally crated kinetic art piece avaiable here:
From Art of Play: BUY NOW: Slow Dance
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Slow Dance: a kinetic sculpture via induced vibration and high speed strobe lighting in which objects exhibit subtle and beautiful motion when mounted within this special frame. I love how the electromagnet, with its beautiful copper windings, is prominently featured at the bottom of the frame. Electronics within the frame send AC currents to the electromagnet which then pushes and pulls magnets on each side. These magnets are affixed to leaf springs to which feathers, flowers, and other objects are attached with elastic bands. The arrangement is then illuminated by LEDs set to strobe at just the right frequency to produce the slow dance illusion.
The Holoscope: Cube with Spheres
Order a holoscope from the artist's gallery here:
The artwork of Gary Allison: BUY NOW Holoscopeworld.com
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
The Holoscope: a cube of mirrors with the interior viewed from one corner and illuminated by light entering from glass spheres at the other seven vertices. A type of kaleidoscope based on truncated Platonic solids by artist Gary Allison. Each holoscope has stained glass on the exterior and front surface mirrors on the inside which create the amazing and seemingly impossible spaces within.
Static Spheres
Get this inexpensive device here:
From Educational Innovations: BUY NOW: Static Spheres
Click here for other static electricity devices
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Static Spheres: triboelectric effect toy. The red acetate spheres are given an acquired net negative charge, and their mutual repulsion allows them to jump a centimeter or more as charge is manipulated on the PET plastic container. Bringing an object near the container momentarily moves electrons (charge) around creating repulsive forces (sphere v. sphere) and attractive forces (spheres and container) resulting in the observed motions. The red spheres interact with each other without coming into physical contact (as shown in 240 fps slow motion) as like charges repel. Shaking the system a bit allows the red spheres to pick up charge in the first place by colliding with the container.
KaleidoFlow Fluid Display Cell: The Glorb
KaleidoFlow fluid and associated devices available here:
From Laminar Sciences Corp: BUY NOW: KaleidoFlow Rheoscopic Fluid
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
KaleidoFlow Fluid Cell: the phenomenon of streaming birefringence colorfully reveals the temporary sheer stresses induced in a liquid by a moving plastic sphere. The “Glorb” device design features a cylindrical cell with polarizing filters as the top and bottom windows and filled with this special rheoscopic fluid and a plastic bead. This assembly then slides into a base with white LEDs to supply backlighting. Many thanks to Laminar Sciences Corp for supplying this beautiful display cell and bottles of KaleidoFlow fluid for experimentation.
Sp!n Top
Get a Sp!n Top here:
From Art of Play: BUY NOW: Sp!n Top
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Sp!n Top: once set into motion the eye only perceives the punctuation mark ! in the center of a ring, with the vertical line seemingly suspended in space above the dot. The rate of spin is above the flicker fusion threshold of human vision, and the crossbars become blurred out and invisible- the effect is even more pronounced in person (hard to capture on video). Physics and psychophysics combine to produce this wonderful illusion!
Double Pendulum
Here is a similar double pendulum curetnly available on KS. Order some chaos today!
From KickStarter: ORDER NOW: the orb drop dp
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Double Pendulum: chaotic motion from a simple assembly of two physical pendulums (one attached to the end of the other) with the energy of the system moving frenetically back and forth between the potential energy of gravity to the kinetic energy of motion. Chaotic motion is characterized by extreme sensitivity to initial starting conditions, tiny differences in how the system is released leads to dramatically different outcomes each time. This double pendulum was made by Doug Cvelbar (minicastings.com) where bearings were used at the pivot points to minimize fiction so that the energy takes many minutes to dissipate.
Earth Mass Black Hole
Precision machined tungsten alloy spheres avaulable here:
From STEMCell Science: BUY NOW: Tungsten Black Hole Replica
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Earth Mass Black Hole: this sphere of tungsten alloy has a diameter of 17.7mm, a precision representation of the size of the event horizon of a black hole with a mass equal to that of the Earth! If the entire mass of the earth could somehow be compressed to the size of this sphere, it would indeed collapse to a black hole with an event horizon defined by a Schwarzschild radius of 8.87mm. For comparison a black hole with the mass of the sun would be 6km across. This black hole replica is made of one of the densest materials available, a tungsten alloy with ?=18.5 g/cm³ which produces a strange sensation when you hold it, with a weight of twice that of a ball bearing of equal size.