My last post ended with a slow-motion video of falling rolls of paper towels. Here’s a few other videos we’ve taken with the high speed camera:
Ball Bounce Challenge
Students had to predict the drop height necessary in order for the ball to bounce back up to the height of the hoop. Each group was given a different ball. They could take any measurements they wanted with the ball — but the height of the hoop was not disclosed yet. When measurements were complete, the balls were sequestered and the hoop was put in place. Groups then performed more measurements and calculations. Upon determining the drop height, each group was given back their ball and had one chance to make a successful drop:
Reaction Time
Are you quick enough to catch the dollar bill without anticipating?
Falling Meterstick
A classic demonstration. Why do some of the dice stay on the meterstick and some do not? Can you predict how far out along the meterstick the dice will remain in contact with the stick?
Other collections of high-speed video clips
- Dean Baird’s High Speed Video Clips — Dean is a physics teacher in CA. Be sure to check out his inertia videos.
- Interesting High-Speed Video Clips — By Dr. David G. Alciatore at Colorado State. One of my favorites is the Jell-O cube drop:
And one more video nicely illustrating Newton’s 1st Law:
Have you been using high-speed videos in the classroom? How?
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Action-Reaction 
These are fabulous. I bought three similar cameras for my Hamline Mythbusters class and the students find all sorts of cool things to do with them. I especially like how Vernier can make measurements from them.
So you really like your Casio…do you change what speeds you shoot at?
So far 210 fps has worked fine for eliminating motion blur for falling objects. We tried 1000 fps for looking at bouncy ball deformations when striking the ground, but the resolution is greatly reduced and you need A LOT of light. I think Dean (above) might have gotten better results.
My Physics Club filmed several clips last year of all sorts of things. They aren’t hosted right now in an accessible location. One of my more recent favorites is of our ping pong ball air cannon. Next time we borrow the camera, we’re going to turn off the classroom fluorescents and use halogen spot lights.
That was an awesome video! Are you using a Casio?
Yes, Casio Exilim EX-FH20.
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