Last month I posted Shine A Light, and now Clifford Johnson’s second short film, Laser, has debuted on the interwebs! Take a look and watch for the Monty Python moment:
In his own words:
For this [National Science Foundation-supported film] to be a success, your help is needed. It needs to be seen. Tell your family and friends, colleagues and students, local teachers, etc., about it. Forward it on to people you know. Blog it, tweet it, facebook share it, etc. Crucially, remember that it is designed to be not just for people who already know they have an interest in science, but others too, so make no assumptions about who might like it… just please send it. Thanks.
September 14th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I really, really like the way that the filmmaker has anthropomorphized subatomic particles. This really brings the material home to normal people. When I taught physics, I would often attempt one-man versions of this kind of thing (random walk of a molecule in a gas was particularly brutal) and it really worked with students. But I could never do a good job with mass gain at relativistic velocities.
One thing I think they missed: when I did photons, I held my arms out to the side and move them sinuously up and down to indicate that I was a wavicle. Perhaps that’s a bit too advanced a topic for the intended audience.
September 14th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Simple, like me.
thanks