The Hindenburg disaster: Combining physics and history in the laboratory

We present the Hindenburg disaster as a case study in the flammability of fabrics. Our goal is to examine the ship’s outer covering and decide whether or not it was the fire’s initial source of fuel. To accomplish this, we piloted a basic vertical flame test with students in an introductory-level undergraduate laboratory. Our test is patterned after the protocol set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for determining the flammability of textiles. The case study provides several unique teaching opportunitie

Thank You for Flying the Vomit Comet

This paper describes our flight aboard NASA's C9 Weightless Wonder, more affectionately known as The Vomit Comet. The C9 is NASA's aircraft that creates multiple periods of microgravity by conducting a series of parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico

Viscoelastic Properties of a Liquid-Crystalline Monomer and Its Dimer

Quasielastic-light-scattering measurements are reported for a dialkoxyphenylbenzoate monomer and its dimer in their respective nematic phases. The splay and twist elastic moduli of the dimer are found to be nearly independent of molecular length. The dimer\u27s bend modulus, however, shows an anomalous increase with decreasing temperature well below the nematic-isotropic phase transition. Monomer viscosities are consistent with typical literature values, although γ1/ηsplay and ηbend seem to be larger than expected for the dimer, where γ1 is the twist viscosity. The results are discussed in terms of viscoelastic properties of semiflexible rods. The elastic properties in particular are in good agreement with a recent model by Terentjev and Petschek (unpublished)

An Introduction to Liquid Crystals

Practically every display technology in use today relies on the flat, energy-efficient construction made possible by liquid crystals. These displays provide visually-crisp, vibrantly-colored images that a short time ago were thought only possible in science fiction. Liquid crystals are known mainly for their use in display technologies, but they also provide many diverse and useful applications: adaptive optics, electro-optical devices, films, lasers, photovoltaics, privacy windows, skin cleansers and soaps, and thermometers. The striking images of liquid crystals changing color under polarized lighting conditions are even on display in many museums and art galleries—true examples of \u27science meeting art\u27. Although liquid crystals provide us with visually stunning displays, fascinating applications, and are a rich and fruitful source of interdisciplinary research, their full potential may yet remain untapped