The students and faculty of the physics department participated in Fools Fest this past weekend on campus. Fools Fest is a "Loyola Family Affair" event put on by Loyola students that include live music, food, and booths by different committees and organizations. The Physics department had multiple interactive demonstrations such as a rotating bicycle wheel, which shows the angular momentum and gravity torque, and electrostatics with a Van de Graaf generator. The students also demonstrated Non-Newtonian liquid by placing a small amount of cornstarch solution on a vibrating speaker membrane which results in the liquid showing strange tentacle-like motions. Another popular demonstration was the bio-electric robotic arm. The robotic arm is controlled by nerve impulses from a human forearm. The electrodes are attached to a persons arm and then through an electronic circuit to a mini robotic arm. As the a person moves there arm, so does the robotic arm. Many of the demonstrations mentioned can be seen below.

Photos courtesy of Michael Murat