Dendritic Quartz
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From Etsy: BUY NOW: Dendritic Quartz
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Dendritic Quartz: Fractal patterns are found throughout Nature- but few are in as pure a fractal form as these manganese dendrite inclusions, found in quartz and other mineral compounds where they grow along the cracks and joint planes of crystals. The fractal dimension of these delicately branched structures is about D=1.8 as estimated by the famous “box counting” algorithm. I picked up this beautiful fractal quartz freeform cabochon from @rareearthminingco (thanks Curtis!) at the Tucson gem, mineral, and fossil show.
Stellated Dodecahedron of the Sagrada Familia
Similar 3D printed form:
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Stellated Dodecahedron of the Sagrada Familia: another amazing application of aesthetic geometry encountered in my travels to Barcelona. The latest addition to the continued construction of Antoni Gaudi’s design was placed upon the Tower of the Virgin Mary in 2021, an illuminated stellated dodecahedron made of glass. Swipe to see a photo and the impressively detailed model of the spire featured in the on-site museum. I purchased this 3D printed model of the star in the museum gift shop.
Moravian Star Lamp
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BUY NOW: Herrnhut Star Lamps
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Moravian Star Lamp: recently I was traveling trough Munich where I discovered this beautiful geometric holiday decoration throughout the airport (swipe for photos). The star has 26 points with the geometry of a stellated rhombicuboctahedron which produces 8 triangular points and 18 square shaped points. Also called Herrnhut Stars these decorations have been a traditional part of the holidays for more than 160 years where the first stars where constructed by a mathematics instructor at a Moravian church boarding school as part of a geometry lesson.
Floating on Mercury
See my other posts: cautious fun with mercury
Here is a discription of the artwork by the artist Calder himself.
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Floating on Mercury: metal mercury (Hg) is liquid at room temperature, and it is 13.5 times more dense than water- more dense than many other metals. US coins float on its surface! This demonstration was inspired by the Mercury Fountain of Calder (swipe to see in action) that I posted about a few days ago. In one historical account it was mentioned that visitors at the 1937 World’s Fair would toss coins into the fountain (as folks like to do) and were then astonished that the coins did not sink into the liquid- and hundreds of French francs were skimmed off the surface each day. Caution: contact with the skin and breathing vapors are to be avoided with mercury- make sure to have proper training when investigating this hazardous material.
Convection Turbine Candle with Elephants
Get similar candles here (many themes to choose from):
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Spinning tea-light candle
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Spinning tea-light candle
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Convection Turbine Candle: pachyderms on parade via this whimsical tea-light candle holder which is actually a simple turbine heat engine where rotational motion results from the convection of hot air from the candle flame. All moving parts are of thin stainless steel with some assembly required. Energy transfer: chemical bonds- to heat- to kinetic energy of the rising air- to rotational kinetic energy of the turbine and elephants.
Spirograph Animator
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From Amazon: BUY NOW: Spirograph Animator
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Spirograph Animator: a turntable adds an ingenious embellishment to this classic math toy. When the centerpiece is put into rotation a strobe light turns on and the cyclic designs spring into a complex dance. Spirographs produce mathematical roulette curves called hypotrochoids, cyclical designs that repeat at varying integer multiples. When the strobe light frequency, and rotation frequency, match up with an integer multiple of one of the patterns, that roulette curve appears stationary while the other patterns stay in motion. Shown here is but one combination of many possible overlapping patterns that can be produced by the supplied set of gears and colored pens.
Simple Polarimeter
This DIY device is part of the polarization kit that you will get from a MEL Physics subscription:
Subscribe to: MEL Physics
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Simple Polarimeter: Two linear polarizing sheets oriented at 90 degrees creates this device that reveals rainbows hidden within the patterns of polarization in the light transmitted by some common plastic objects. Just one of many amazing experiments from the MEL Physics science kit collection. Polypropylene is a clear transparent plastic comprised on long chain like molecules which interact with light wave orientation- when this plastic substance is heated to form things like utensils or containers, these long strand molecules lock in pattens of stress from the cooling, which are revealed as changes in color/frequency of the transmitted light.
Precision Machined Haptic Fidget
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From Etsy: BUY NOW: Precision Fidget Devices
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Precision Machined Haptic Fidget: four identical stainless steel components precision manufactured to 15µm tolerances via wire EDM (electrical discharge machined) and embedded with magnets to produce a stepped locking mechanism for a haptic sensory experience. The rainbow finish is due to a very thin layer of oxidized titanium produced by a process called physical vapor deposition (PVD) where a molecule thin coating is created under vacuum. So much interesting physics in the many production methods used to make this everyday carry fidget.
Thermomotor Curie Point Engine
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From Etsy: BUY NOW: Thermomotor Candle Engine
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Thermomotor Carousel: this decorative and dynamic centerpiece is actually a Curie point heat engine! Two tea light candles continually chase two magnets around a magnetic ring in this truly unique design by @violet__revolution. When the portion of the magnetic ring over the flame heats up to a particular temperature (the Curie point) its magnetic field is temporarily lost until it cools, so the magnet near the candle is now pulled toward a cooler portion of the ring- which then heats up and the process continuously repeats creating the steady rotation. Swipe to see the full design (complete with a laser cut forest mantle) in operation. Many thanks to artist and inventor Darragh Hewat for this fantastic addition to my collection.
Crushmetric Holographic Foil Pen
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From Crushmetric: BUY NOW: Crushmetric Pen
From Art of Play: BUY NOW: Switch Pen
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Crushmetric Holographic: the Switch Pen with diffractive rainbow foil- functional kinetic art based on materials science and tessellation origami techniques. The crushed state can be reversed over and over in this incredible design by artist/inventor Noah Deledda, also known for his similar sculptures created from aluminum cans.
Polage Miniature Ornament
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From Austine Studios: BUY NOW: Polage Ornament
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Polage Miniatures: art with polarized light using polarizing sheets and birefringent cellophane to create changing forms and colors. A polarizing filter is used to reveal the colorful designs- amazingly with two images hidden within these layers. Rotation of the polarizing filter also allows the artist to produce colorful metamorphosis in these images. These affordable sun catchers are made in limited quantities by @austinestudios, and look amazing through polarized sunglasses as well. Light as a transverse wave has an orientation, denoted as polarization, and a polarizing filter can be used to block certain orientations. The colors in polage come from how the molecular structure of plastics can rotate the polarization of any light that passes through- but only light corresponding to yellows and greens gets rotated in plastic, reds and blues not so much. Polage uses different layers of plastic to rotate the light, and then polarizing filters are added to allow only certain frequencies (colors) of light through.
Open-Closed Signage Device
Versions of this sign mechanism available here:
Fromn Etsy: BUY NOW: Open Closed Sign
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Open-Closed Contraption: gearing, counterbalances, levers, and clever fonts combine to create this transforming signage. Fun engineering and original design by Ikeda Yosuke.
Vintage Hologram Glasses
These vintage novalty glasses can still be found here:
From Etsy: BUY NOW: Hologram Novelty Sunglasses
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Spooky Hologram Eyeball Glasses: this pair of vintage novelty Halloween spectacles feature true photopolymer holograms which create some of the best 3D images- these spherical eyeballs look as though they are hovering right behind each lens! Unlike photographs, holograms are recordings of the interference pattern of light waves, and incredibly what you see is created by information encoded in a layer thinner than a piece of paper.
Fruit Basket Hyperboloid
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From Amazon: BUY NOW: Hyperboloid Fruit Basket
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Take a look at other featured hyperbolid art and toys
Fruit Basket Hyperboloid: 14 straight rods are arranged to reveal a hyperboloid, the 3D surface traced by revolving a diagonal(skew) line, the outline of which is the conic section of the hyperbola. An affordable doubly ruled surface for any table- great for fruit or mathematical holiday decor!
Fluorescein v. Laser Frequency
Need a laser pointer? Incredibly, you can get 3 (one of each color) for under $20 (including S&H):
From Amazon: BUY NOW Red+Green+Purple Laser Pointer
Make you own fluorescent solution with this powder:
From STEMCell Science: BUY NOW: Fluorescein Powder
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Fluorescein v. Laser Frequency: exploring how this famous fluorescent dye reacts to three frequencies of laser pointer using this unique liquid filled paperweight. Under Green (532 nm) we see some mild yellow fluorescence as the beam transmits through the liquid, under Red (635 nm) the beam transmits with no reaction, but under near UV Blue (450 nm) the beam is completely absorbed near the liquid surface and re-emitted in bright green with a peak at 515nm. A fun home experiment to explore quantum physics phenomena with inexpensive apparatus.
Quantum Re-Excitation: Phosphorescence
Need a UV laser pointer? Get 3 lasers (one of each color) for under $10:
From Amazon: BUY NOW red+green+blue(UV) laser pointers
Get inexpensive phosphorescent sheet material here:
From Educational Innovations: BUY NOW Glow-in-the-dark sheet
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Quantum Re-Excitation: a green laser should not normally be able to induce a phosphorescent glow, but if the material is already excited a green laser can re-excite it as seen here. Glow-in-the-dark phosphorescence is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where high energy photons (like those from a near UV laser pointer) are absorbed by electrons which are then boosted to higher energy levels. The glow comes from these electrons emitting lower energy photons (green in this case) as they jump down through a series of energy levels back towards their ground state. If an electron is only partially down the cascade path, lower energy photons from a green laser can bump it back up to the excited state. Quantum mechanics is all about discrete jumps in energy like what is happening here.