Session GP1 - Poster Session IV.
POSTER session, Tuesday afternoon, October 28
Fran Hill Southeast Exhibit Hall, ACC
The Wonders of Phyiscs (WoP) program at the University of Wisconsin--Madison is in its 20th year of bringing physics to the people. Started in 1984 by Clint Sprott, the original Wonders of Physics lectures were intended as educational family entertainment, in which physics demonstrations were theatrically presented. Prof. Sprott has now given over 150 of these lectures, to a total audience exceeding 50,000. The shows are recorded and the videotapes have sold consistently through the years. Since demand for the shows exceeded supply, a mobile WoP travelling show was started in 1988, reaching an estimated audience of 100,000 in more than 775 shows across Wisconsin and neighboring states. In 1990 a lecture kit was devised to allow physics enthusiasts to start their own shows modelled after WoP. Through the years, WoP shows have remained essentially unchanged: they are built around memorable demonstrations which allow the presenter to choose explantory words to suit the audience. Demonstrations relevant to plasmas or fusion science are favored.