Good questions, and I have another one: What is it about Slinky that young children find so fascinating and fun?
-tj On Sat, Oct 1, 2011 at 7:07 PM, ERIC P. CHARLES <[email protected]> wrote: > Below are links to some science videos nifty for two reasons. > > 1) They ask and answers a pretty cool question: What happens when you hold > a slinky out at shoulder height, so it is extended down (the bottom still > off the ground) and you let go. Think about it for a second. How does the > top part of the slinky move, how does the bottom part move, how does the > center of mass move? A good physics thought experiment! (If you are having > trouble imagining it, here is the question: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGIZKETKKdw<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGIZKETKKdw&feature=relmfu> > ) > > 2) The answer illustrates the weirdness of trying to apply the term > 'information' to all possible situations. At about 1:30, the physics prof > offers an explanation for what happens, and (for just a second) talks as if > one part of the slinky is transmitting 'information' about its movement to > another part of the slinky, which is bizarre way. The slinky itself is > moving, it is not transmitting information about the movement, it IS moving. > Why would you say that it takes time for 'the information to propagate', > instead of simply saying that 'it takes time for the slinky to move'. Weird, > weird, weird. > > At any rate, Here is the cool answer: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCMmmEEyOO0 > (and it continues here: http://www.youtube.com/wa! > tch?v=oKb2tCtpvNU&NR=1<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKb2tCtpvNU&NR=1> > ) > > This seemed like the type of thing lots of people on the list would get a > kick out of... so... hope you do. > > Eric > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com [email protected] ==========================================
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
