Physics Outreach brings interactive experiments to the Scouts
2013-03-21
The Physics Outreach program thrilled and educated more about 60 local Cub Scouts March 1 at a troop lock-in inside Roosevelt Middle School.
With the help of parent volunteers, Physics Outreach presented a series of 16 guided inquiry investigations for Boy Scout Troop 154 in Monticello. The interactive investigations introduced approximately 60 elementary age boys to concepts related to physical science, including circuits, laws of conservation, naturally occurring forces, pendulums, fluids and visual phenomena.
Among the favorites that made it big were two investigations involving electric circuits. The scouts learned about the components of circuits, and then made and tested their predictions about the kinds of materials that act as conductors and insulators.
At the conclusion of the event, senior physics student Aaron Zimmerman held a question and answer session with the boys to hear about what they had learned. The scouts also got to take home-versions of some of the experiments with them.