Local children will have the opportunity to learn some basic concepts of physics from the original "Mr. Wizard," John Taylor, during a ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards presentation at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Taylor has been a physics professor at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder for 32 years and has delighted audiences as "Mr. Wizard" for more than 18 years.
In the first program of this yearÂ’s ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards series, "What Makes Things Move," Taylor will focus on relating the impact of physical forces to how things move. He plans to demonstrate the presence of physical forces with lively experiments such as lying on a bed of nails. He also plans to show how rockets operate.
"Science is something that you can understand, and when you understand it, it's so exciting," Taylor said. "ItÂ’s so great to see people be able to relate scientifically to the everyday world."
The free presentation is recommended for children in grades five through nine. The show begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be held in the Mathematics Building, room 100, on the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder campus. Reservations are not required.
¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards is an annual program that provides an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry and physics. It has expanded to include presentations by ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder faculty members with varying areas of expertise.
Free parking is available in Lot 436 on Colorado Avenue just east of the engineering building and paid parking in the Euclid Autopark. Anyone with a disability or special need should notify the physics department at 303-492-6952 a few days in advance of the show they will be attending. For general information about the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards program and schedule, call 303-492-4318.
The second presentation in the series, "Liquid Crystals," will be held on Oct. 31 in Duane Physics G-030.