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Published by
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224
USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601
UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022939240
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
EXPLAINING PHYSICS WITH THE HELP OF TOYS
Copyright © 2022 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval
system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance
Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy
is not required from the publisher.
ISBN 978-981-125-600-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-981-125-601-1 (ebook for institutions)
ISBN 978-981-125-602-8 (ebook for individuals)
For any available supplementary material, please visit
https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12827#t=suppl
Desk Editor: Joseph Ang
Typeset by Stallion Press
Email: [email protected]
Printed in Singapore
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9”x6” b4652 Explaining Physics With the Help of Toys
To the Reader
Few would challenge Aristotle’s idea that “knowledge begins with sur-
prise”. With little effort one can turn their memories back to their child-
hood, feeling the wonder of first encountering a new and unfamiliar toy.
These feelings would arise from the oddity of this toy, which was con-
fronting us with the laws of nature in disguise. Today, toys such as these
are often classified as “scientific toys”. They are interesting because of
how they disguise the laws from which they were designed, the ways
which allow them to produce their effects, and the purposes for which they
were created. This purpose often lies in the mystery of their mechanism;
just by using them, our research into this mystery has already begun.
As such toys are designed with the learning process in mind, it is a
shame to squander their potential by leaving them to dissipate amongst
our other childhood memories. Scientific toys are particularly suited to
conveying ideas of a variety of physical laws, whether they are simple,
novel, obscure, or complicated.
Sokolov Nikolaj Nikolajevich, a professor at the Russian State Geo-
logical Exploration University, was a pioneer, possibly the pioneer, of a
method of scholastic education which incorporated such toys as demon-
strations of their principles of design, and used toys in their classes in
Russia during the 1970s. Their interactive lectures and demonstrations
attracted large audiences to the Moscow Polytechnic Museum and
afforded them a great reputation. To this day, Sokolov’s methods influence
the pedagogical procedures of progressive teachers of physics all over
the world.
v
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b4652 Explaining Physics With the Help of Toys 9”x6”
vi Explaining Physics With the Help of Toys
Scientific toys demonstrate ideas of the laws of physics from a multi-
tude of topics. In any good catalogue of toys, one can find scientific toys;
the range of such toys is ever increasing. Nonetheless, advertising materi-
als often obscure the educational applications of particular toys. This book
aspires to work towards correcting that situation. Within this book are four
dozen different descriptions of toys relating to their domain in physics, in
addition to materials on the technical and scientific properties of these
toys and explorations of the history of discoveries and inventions behind
that toy. All toys described within are manufactured industrially, thus one
should not have great difficulty to find examples. In addition to these toys,
the same stores and catalogues may have other scientific demonstration
kits of varying complexities relating to chemistry, biology, and other natu-
ral sciences.
The virtues of scientific toys are numerous, however they are not the
exclusive source of accessible demonstrations of particular principles
from physics. There is no “official” character to the toys recommended
which make them superior to another toy which demonstrates the same
principles. Even a Barbie Doll, which at first glance might be thought to
have nothing to do with physics, can help draw attention to physics. One
might start a story from the topic of the simplest mechanisms in mechan-
ics with the example of the hinges in the joints of the Barbie Doll.
Conversely, some toys will better demonstrate a difficult physical law
or phenomenon than others and will serve better to arouse interest or be
an effective visual aid. For example, quantum mechanics is quite an
abstract science which resists obvious visual aids. However, by throwing
two neodymium magnetic balls into the air, the way that children often
use them, one could describe how the force of their attraction is based on
the movement of electrons, already helping demonstrate electromagnetic
phenomena in a tangible way which can be related back to the standpoint
of quantum mechanics, while also being accessible and entertaining.
Nonetheless, one must not get carried away with intricacies and turn these
tools into distraction from assistance.
It is strange that purchased toys often tend to break quickly; in child-
hood many of us make toys from what we can access. This fact can be
used with considerable benefit in the educational process. Nowadays on
the internet one can find a whole host of recordings, which show the
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9”x6” b4652 Explaining Physics With the Help of Toys
To the Reader vii
process of making a wide variety of toys for oneself, often from the most
seemingly disposal of resources. This book provides a step-by-step
description of the creation of a dozen homemade scientific toys.
It is crucial that in the process of working together on these toys and
their subsequent tests, teachers will be able to tell children a lot about the
physical principles which the toy demonstrates and the history of the
invention and its conceptualization, amongst other things. Discovering
together in a creative environment will leave a lasting impact on one’s
students.
Igor Kulaga
(Translated by F.P. Lewis)
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9”x6” b4652 Explaining Physics With the Help of Toys
Contents
To the Reader v
Chapter 1 Mechanics 1
1.1 “Stubborn Giraffe” (Pertaining to Statics and
Construction Mechanics) 1
1.2 “Tumbler” (Pertaining to Balance) 6
1.3 “Shooting Pneumatic Toys” (Pertaining to Kinematics) 8
1.4 “Pecking Woodpeckers” (Pertaining to Friction) 14
1.5 “Toy Scales” (Pertaining to Weight and Mass) 17
1.6 “Propeller on a Screw” (Pertaining to Simple
Mechanism) 21
1.7 “Wind-Up Toy Car” (Pertaining to the Wheel) 24
1.8 “Toy Bike” (Pertaining to Green Transport
Technologies) 26
1.9 “Gravity Cart” (Pertaining to Perpetual Motion) 28
1.10 “Heron’s Chain” (Pertaining to the Physics
of Antiquity) 32
1.11 “Magnetic Olives” (Pertaining to Energy) 35
1.12 “Elastic Popper” (Pertaining to Elasticity) 39
1.13 “Resonant Balls” (Pertaining to Resonance) 44
ix
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