HR: 1340h
 AN: ED13C-1162    [Abstracts]
 TI: Spinning Up Interest: Classroom Demonstrations of Rotating Fluid Dynamics
 AU: * Aurnou, J
EM: aurnou@ucla.edu
 AF: UCLA Earth & Space Sciences, 595 Charles Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 United States
AB: The complex relationship between rotation and its effect on fluid motions presents some of the most difficult and vexing concepts for both undergraduate and graduate level students to learn. We have found that student comprehension is greatly increased by the presentation of in-class fluid mechanics experiments. A relatively inexpensive experimental set-up consists of the following components:

  1. a record player,
  2. a wireless camera placed in the rotating frame,
  3. a tank of fluid,
  4. and food coloring.
At my poster, I will use this set-up to carry out demonstrations that illustrate the Taylor-Proudman theorem, flow within the Ekman layer, columnar convection, and flow around high and low pressure centers. By sending the output of the wireless camera through an LCD projection system, such demonstrations can be carried out even for classes in large lecture halls.
DE: 0825 Teaching methods
 DE: 0845 Instructional tools
 DE: 4508 Coriolis effects
 DE: 5704 Atmospheres (0343, 1060)
 SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
 MN: Fall Meeting 2005