Variable Speed Blower, Air Track, Timing gates.

 

Code Number: 8B10.90

Demo Title: The Poynting-Robertson Effect

Condition: Good

Principle: Solar Oscillations

Area of Study: Astronomy

Equipment:

Variable Speed Blower, Air Track, Timing gates.

Procedure:

Set the timing gates about 50 cm apart.  Point the nozzle of the blower down at the track midway between the gates.  A measurable slowdown of the car should be observed due to the car passing through the blower air stream.  This is analogous to the effect that the solar wind or solar particles have on objects traveling through the solar system.

References:

  • Thomas B. Greenslade Jr., "Apparatus Named After Our Academic Ancestors - VII", TPT, Vol. 62, #8, Nov. 2024, p. 636.
  • Steven L. Morris, "Electromagnetic Waves and Poynting Vectors with Easy-To-Use components", TPT, Vol. 60, #6, Sept. 2022, p. 496.
  • Erlend H. Graf, "The Poynting - Robertson Effect", TPT, Vol. 42, # 2, Feb. 2004, p. 119.