Physics, astronomy departments to host open house

Few people would agree to lie down on a bed of nails and allow someone to smash a cinder block on their stomach. Yet for those who know the physics of such an experiment, this is just another demonstration.\nThe IU physics and astronomy departments will showcase this experiment and many more from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Swain Hall West for their annual open house.\nThe goal of the event is to present physics and astronomy in a way that isn't boring, said Susan Brown, administrative assistant for the event.\n"We want people to understand that science is not just a dry or boring principle, that even physics can be fun," Brown said.\nSome popular events include the bed-of-nails demonstration and the liquid nitrogen room, where students can turn bananas into hammers and shatter flowers.\nThis year's event will also include a tour of the IU Cyclotron Facility and its Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute.\n"It's not like you have to sit and listen to some lecture or have people just stand there and tell you stuff," said Fred Luehring, a senior scientist for the physics department. "But you get to actually interact with the demonstrations and displays."\nOne of the most anticipated events is the lecture demonstration hosted by the IU Physics and Astronomy Society in Swain Hall West.\nThis year's demonstration is titled "Super Heroes, Super Physics." Club members will dress as super heroes and perform various experiments that demonstrate the laws of physics.\nAlthough the demonstrations vary from year to year, the finale for the IUPAS lecture demonstration is always the implosion of a 55-gallon steel drum using air pressure.\n"I've done this demo for the annual open house, as well as for smaller demonstrations for the Science Olympiad students and other local after-school clubs in Bloomington, and it never gets old," IUPAS President Andrew Ferguson said.