2027kit

Optimism the arrangement of pinholes in an opaque film to make sunglasses that reduce light intensity and correct myopia. Investigate how hole size, spacing and pattern affect performance.

Build a spectrometer using a CD or Blu-ray disc as a diffraction grating. Optimise the design to maximise resolving power and minimise aberrations.

A hollow sphere containing a heavy ball and viscous fluid rolls down an incline unevenly and surprisingly slowly. Explain and investigate the effect.

Ceramic capacitors emit sound when AC voltage is applied. Investigate how the sound characteristics depend on voltage, frequency and capacitor type.

Build a Y-shaped (Bowditch) pendulum and investigate how the Lissajous figures traced by the bob depend on string lengths, mass and initial conditions.

A laser reflected from a mirror on a vibrating membrane traces geometric patterns on a screen. Investigate how driving parameters and membrane properties affect the patterns.

A heavy funnel dropped stem-down into water oscillates vertically while sinking. Investigate the motion, damping and the conditions under which it tips over.

A disc sandwiched between two wheels (one motor-driven) is free to swing as a pendulum. The motor exerts an upward driving force. Investigate the resulting motion.

Placing a slit in front of a camera lens creates unusual anisotropic distortions in out-of-focus areas (bokeh). Investigate how slit properties affect the image.

A rotating rod magnet in a liquid vessel creates an air channel from the surface to the magnet above a critical speed. Investigate and explain this phenomenon.

Even a tiny gap under a door can significantly break sound isolation. Investigate how the shape and size of a small opening affect sound transmission.

Under certain conditions, chalk dragged across a blackboard leaves dots instead of a line. Investigate the physical parameters governing this stick-slip phenomenon.

A cylindrical pendulum bob partially submerged in flowing water oscillates perpendicular to the flow. Investigate this vortex-induced vibration phenomenon.

A dilatant non-Newtonian fluid (like cornstarch suspension) vibrated vertically forms rising worm-like structures under certain conditions. Investigate this phenomenon.

Investigate how adding salt and alcohol to ice affects the minimum achievable temperature and maximum cooling rate when cooling a drink.

Alternating neodymium magnets on a rotating disc cause a steel ball on a plate above to move either with or against the disc rotation. Investigate this phenomenon.

A horizontally placed book with a partially open cover — when released, the cover falls in an interesting way. Investigate the dynamics of the falling cover.