CHAIN EXPERIMENT

Jurij Bajc, Katarina Susman, Saša Ziherl

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education

Since 2005

• New challenge for physics students

• Promotion of physics

• Annual event in May

What is the chain experiment?

• A “system of dominoes”

• A set of dynamic devices

• Each device is a whole for itself but also a part

of the whole

• Entertainment, fun with experimentation

• Idea, challenge

• Team work

Concepts of the chain

• Physical phenomena

• Well defined linking element

• Sufficiently slow dynamics that one is able to

observe it easily

• Accessible, waste material

The project

• The first spin-off project of the WYP 2005 in Slovenia

• Promotions all over the country with demo version of the chain experiment

• Schools are invited to develop new contraptions

• Annual event in May – one long chain of contraptions

The demo version

• 10 contraptions in the chain

• Cooperation of students from 3 Slovenian

faculties

• Presentations all over Slovenia and

neighbouring countries

• More than 3000 spectators per year

The Slovenian event

• First event in 2005 in the cultural and congress

center in Slovenia

– Over 50 contraptions, 80 meters long chain– 200 constructors– 1500 spectators

• Every year in Technical Museum of Slovenia all

the contraptions made that year are shown

Ambitions

• 30th May 2009 – the longest chain experiment

ever

– All interested in making the contraptions are invited to

join in.• Limited budget for accommodation for foreign groups

Chain experiment

Contacts:– sasa.ziherl@gmail.com– katarina.susman@gmail.com– jure.bajc@gmail.com

Links:– http://www.pef.uni-lj.si– http://tms.pfmb.uni-mb.si/– http://www2.pef.uni-lj.si/chain.experiment/index_slo.htm