Jonathan Hare working with Richard Robinson and
The Brighton Science Festival

bri sci fest logo windmill wagon jj windmill
Brighton
Science Festival 		2009 windmill
workshop
(YouTube) 		SEPnet
Newton Project 		CSC talks
and workshops 		more soon


*** Congratulations to Richard Robinson being awarded an honorary degree from the University of Sussex July 2016 :-) ***

The YouTube movies of the workshops .....

windmill gull neuron moog incredible machine windmill
windmill
workshops

 AngryGull
workshops 		Neuron
workshop 		MOOG
workshops 		incedible
machine
workshops 		more soon



Brighton Science Festival Workshops


Moog synth
2016 - Angry Gull workshop
The 2016 January Brighton Science workshops celebrated Brightons most famous residents - the Seagulls of course. We 3D printed seagulls that we used in the workshops. The children had to devise a dropping mechanism in the belly of the gull to drop poo (mashed up paper) at a pre-determoned spot using their ingunity, creativity and science knowledge of course. The Gulls 'flew' along a tight line across the class room, dropping their load at a target. We were able to introduce the concepts of parabolic trajectory gravitational falls, friction, non-friction, timing and the difference between accuracy and repeatability.




neuron workshop
2011 and 2015 - Neuron I and II workshops
Each particpant has a box which includes indicator lights, a push switch and wires bringing in and taking signal out to neighbouring boxs. You will only press your switch if the correct lights are ON on your box. These lights will only turn on if you are getting the correct signal from a neighbour. When you press your switch it passes a signal to another box (or possibly several neighbours at once). Some signals tell you to be active ('press the button'), some tell you to be be in-active (release the button). Your actions will effect your neighbours ... and your neighbours will effect you! You are each like a single neuron in a neural network. You are like a simple brain with active and inhibitor neurons - what will emerge will be fun ... but only if you play your part in the network.



Moog synth
2014 - Moog synth workshop
The 2014 January Brighton Science workshops celebrated 50 years of the Moog synthesiser. This physics and electronics workshop was all about capacitors and resistors. We investigated how they work and why they are important in science, technology, electronics and the music industry. We made up electronic oscillators and constructed our own homemade capacitors and resistors to learn about the science of electronics … and play a lot of weird tunes ... like the classic beginning of Dr who ...




voice on a lightbeam
2013 / 2008 - Voice on a light beam workshops
We will take a small tube and cover one end in aluminium foil. If we talk into the tube the foil will vibrate. Any sunlight reflected off the foil will go in slightly different directions depending on the moment-to-moment foil vibrations. Amazingly the sound information of your voice has modulated the light and you can use it to send a light-beam signal as far as the beam will travel - in principle even through the vacuum of space! If you shine the foil refected light onto a solar cell you will convert the light into a changing electric signal and if you amplify this and send it to headphones or a speaker you can hear your light-on-the-sunbeam voice. In these workshops you put your voice on a light beam!
voice on a light beam article, light beam mini film



Amazing machines
2010 - Amazing Machine workshops
We use everyday objects to make up an amazing machine to send a signal from A to B (across the classroom). We crete a sort of crazy domino run using levers, weights, springs, Action Men, dollies and all sorts of stuff to make the most amazing machine you will ever see and experiment with! In the process you will learn about forces (levers and pullies), gravity (weight, mass and inerta) and timing.



windmill workshop
2009 & 2019 - Windmill workshops
Turning magnets near to coils of wire can create electricity - this is the basis of a generator or dynamo. We will attach a simple generator to homemade wind turbine so you can make electrical power from the wind. We use our imagination and creativity to devise our own turbines. We make use of paper, paper and plastic cups, forks, spoons, paper plates ... all sorts of household objects to make out own unique designs. We use this to create electricity to power: buzzers, LED torchs, calculators and radios!
windmill articles, light beam mini film



potato battery
2007 - Potato battery workshops
We will make simple electrochemical cells from potatos, screws and pencil 'leads' and wire them up make a batteries. A zinc screw and carbon rod pushed into a potato will produce about 1V (open circuit) and deliver a couple of mA (short circuit). If we wire up many in parallel we can multiply the current, if we wire up many in series we can multiply the voltage. In these workshop we will wire series and parallel circuits to produce enough power to drive calculators, LED torchs and piezo buzzers.
sea water battery article, potato battery mini film



RR and JJ
Jonathan Hare (CSC) and Richard Robinson (Bri Sci Fest)




Dr Jonathan Hare, E-mail: jphcreativescience@gmail.com

NOTE: Although none of the experiments shown in this site represent a great hazard, neither the Creative Science Centre,
Jonathan Hare nor The University of Sussex can take responsiblity for your own experiments based on these web pages.


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