Harry Potter Mirror Shard
Get this lenticular cut-out here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: HP MIrror Shard
The one in the video is modified: I covered the top in acrylic and backed it with aluminum tape to make it look more like silvered broken glass.
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Harry Potter’s Mirror Shard: A wonderfully creative implementation of the classic animation effect that uses an array of thin cylindrical lenses over interlaced multiple images. This lenticular image simulates the prop from the Deathly Hallows movies- and diehard HP fans will know the name of the other person in the mirror. The real magic of physics imitates Hogwarts magic!
Star Specular Hologram on Vinyl: 2112
Get tihs amazing vinyl remaster here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: RUSH 2112 vinyl wirh Hologram
See other holograms and physicsfun on vinyl here
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Star Specular Hologram on Vinyl: the 2015 reissue of the album 2112 by Rush features this “scratch hologram” of a the famous pentagram of the cover image. The hologram is yet another etched by artist Tristan Duke of Infinity Light Science- and this is the 4th vinyl album I’ve found with his work (trying to collect them all!) The etched grooves reflect a point source of light as sharp glints and the groves are arranged so that each eye sees a slightly different pattern such that, via stereopsis, the shiny points appear to float above or below the surface.
Undial Sundial
Available here (make sure to get the correct version for your latitude):
From Art of Play: BUY NOW: Undial Sundial
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Undial Sundial: modern design of an ancient timekeeping device where a slanted stick (the gnomon) casts a shadow to indicate the time (this one designed for 30-40 degrees latitude). This novel design has no dial underneath, instead the hours are laser etched into clear acrylic such that the time appears projected within the cast shadow. 10 AM to 3:00 PM of a sunny day in Fresno are shown here in time-lapse. Note the movement of the shadow cast by the sun as the Earth turns underneath during this five hour period. Perfect for a windowsill that gets noonday sun!
"Impossible" Domino
Get the 3D print files here:
From Cults3D.com: Download Now: Impossible Domino
This video from The Action Lab has a good decription of rhe physics.
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“Impossible” Domino: a pair of specially engineered domino type objects where the right domino knocks over the left one, but then stands back up! When seen in slow motion the process becomes more clear. The main factor here is that the center of mass of the left domino is higher than that of the right one, giving it much more potential energy so when the left one topples over it can transfer some energy back to the right one. Created by the folks at viralvideolab and 3D printed by my friend Roger Key (thanks!)
Luycho Mirror Anamorphic Lenticular Cup & Saucer
Get this set and other fun designs here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW; Luycho & Oyow Cup and Saucer
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Mirror Anamorphic Lenticular Cup & Saucer: wonderful and whimsical art by Seoul based artist Oyow is showcased in this latest design by Luycho which uses both mirror anamorphic reflection and an accordion type lenticular dual image- place the mirrored cup on the saucer for the reveal! Art intersects once again with math and physics.
Crackle Tube Lightning Lamp
Get similar (disk mostly) lamps here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Crakle Plasma Lamps
Sometimes found here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Tube Plasma Lamps
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Crackle Tube Lightning: a vintage lamp from the 1990s features a cylindrical glass tube filled with phosphor covered dielectric pellets and immersed in noble gasses at low pressure. A Tesla type (high frequency) coil creates light (UV and visible) through plasma discharge and the UV excites the phosphors on the pellets. Mirrors, one on each side, allow all sides of the tube to be seen and makes it look like three tubes. Based on designs by Wayne Strattman (inventor of the Luminglas) and produced by Can You Imagine, Inc.
Borromean Rings in Wood
Get this exact item here:
From Wolrd Market: BUY NOW: Wood Decor Borromean Knot
Similar affordable wood scupltures here:
From Aamzon: BUY NOW: Wood Decor Borromean Knots
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Borromean Rings in Wood: three closed loops are linked but no two of the three are linked- if one is broken the other two will not be connected in any way. Fun math, sold as home décor, found at my local Cost Plus World Market store. More math than physics for this item - but there is a bizarre quantum state (Efimov state) where three particles are bound and described by the same math knot theory as these rings.
Vintage Blacklight Poster: Stars (M. C. Escher)
Fun vintage posters can be found here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Blacklight Poster Escher
Get a similar LED blacklight here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Blacklight for Posters
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Vintage Blacklight Poster: a stunning psychedelic era poster from 1969 glows brightly under an LED blacklight in this specially made frame. This amazing silkscreen uses fluorescent pigments (new tech in the 1960s) that absorb ultraviolet light and then re-emit the energy in visible photons. Design based on M. C. Escher’s black and white 1948 wood engraving print “Stars” featuring two chameleons within three connected octahedra.
Orbitron Saturn Kinetic Art
This vintage device can be found here:
From eBay: BUY NOW: Blacklight Scupture
Get a similar LED blacklight here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Blacklight for Posters
Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Saturn Blacklight Kinetic Art: when the speed of rotation is faster than the flicker fusion frequency of human vision a banded planet surrounded by flat rings appears in this vintage kinetic art piece from 1997. Now LED pixels are spun by similar motor mounts to create animated 3D images- before that tech existed this artist used fluorescent dyes and blacklight illumination to accomplish the 3D effect. Looks smooth in person- the camera frame rate produces the spokes in the disk which is also interesting. A creation of artist Mille Volte and sold as the Orbitron Saturn.
Squaring Circles
This sculpture available as a 3D print:
From ShapeWays: BUY NOW: Square Circle Illusion
See other amazing geometric illusions here: Ambiguous Objects
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Squaring Circles: from one particular point of view these wireframe sculptures looks like a circles/squares, from another it’s a square/circle! From other viewing angles one can see that the underlying curves are four identical segments of a parabola conjoined. Further examples of how a single perspective can be misleading! Math sculptures available as a 3D print by Matt Enlow.
Three Polarizing Sheets
Get some polarizing filter sheets here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW Polarizing Sheets
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See this short introduction to linear polarizing filters on Hyperphysics, and many more details on polarization from Wikipedia.
Three Polarizing Sheets: quantum mechanical behavior with light polarization. Two linear polarizing sheets oriented at 90 degrees blocks all light- if a third sheet is placed between, oriented at 45 degrees, an eighth of the original light then gets through! A classic example of the quantum mechanical phenomenon of superposition of states as it pertains to the polarization orientation of photons and probability of transmission.
One Ring Mirascope
This vintage item often available here:
From eBay: Search NOW: LotR Mirascope
Similar devices available here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW Mirascope
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Mirascope: Lord of the Rings edition. Two parabolic mirrors in a clamshell arrangement- an image of an object on the bottom mirror is projected into the hole on the top mirror. Here the object is The One Ring with the fellowship is depicted on the side. A LotR themed physics toy made in 2001 by the Noble Collection.
Iron Filing Field Detector
This device and similar ones available here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW Magnetic Field Demonstrator Kits
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Iron Filing Field Detector: visualizing the invisible- the magnetic field lines around a dipole bar magnet. In the presence of a magnetic field, ferromagnetic materials (such as iron) temporarily become magnets. Here the iron filings become dipole magnets and link up and align like tiny compass needles to follow and reveal the magnetic field lines associated with the permanent magnet underneath. Viscous silicone oil temporarily keeps the iron particles suspended yet allows for rotation and repositioning under the influence of the magnetic field.
Okkake Koma Chasing Disks Top
Hard to find- here's a possible source: Chasing Koma Top
Okkake Koma: chasing racing disks spinning top. A traditional toy from Japan- the larger disk overtakes the smaller one as seen in slow motion. Challenge: why does the larger disk (giraff) move faster than the smaller (monkey)? This hard to find toy was sent to me by my good friend Tim Rowett a few years back.
The HoverPen 3.0
Get this amazing pen here::
From Amazon: BUY NOW: HoverPen 3.0
The HoverPen 3.0: A sleek and weighty writing pen defying gravity- at an elegant angle of 60 degrees- trapped by a magnetic field via precision engineered placement of neodymium magnets in a space age base design.
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Vintage Tin Whale
This vitage toy sometimes found on eBay: Tin Whale Toy
Here's another toy with similar physics:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Floating Ball Toy
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Vintage Tin Whale: a toy employing the Coandă effect where an air stream attaches and wraps around the styrofoam ball trapping it in the center of the stream. As the air changes direction to flow around the ball, momentum is imparted to push the ball against gravity and levitating it in equilibrium. Amazingly the ball stays trapped even when the toy is moving. This vintage tin toy was produced in 1950 and has a blower and a propulsion mechanism- powered only by winding a spring. Sold as “Billie the Magic Whale”.
The Swinging Sticks
Available in desk top (small) or origial (large) versions:
From Amazon: BUY NOW Swinging Sticks Kinetic Sculptures
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The Swinging Sticks: a driven coupled chaotic physical pendulum as kinetic art where the placement of the rods' axes of rotation are engineered to exhibit the widest range of interesting motion. Four AA batteries and a simple electromagnetic kicker circuit in the base gives a tiny push to a magnet in the end of the large rod, keeping the system in motion for over a year! Perhaps one of the most famous physics toys out there as it was featured in the movie Iron Man II (sitting on the desk of Pepper Potts).
Spinnobi Springy Spinner
Get one here!
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Spinnobi Spinner
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Spinnobi: a spinner with bounce! With springs mounted along the axis on both sides of the dense rotating silicone disk, this spinner demonstrates gyroscopic stability- keeping its orientation as it falls and bounces. Conservation of angular momentum on display with this improved take on the spinner.