Demonstrations of Geophysical Principles Applicable to the Properties and Processes of the Earth's Interior

by Jeffrey S. Barker

Presented at the NE Section GSA Meeting, Binghamton, NY, March 28-30, 1994.

The following are demonstrations I have used with my introductory geological sciences class, "The Earth's Dynamic Interior". Many of the students in this class do not have a strong science background, and I find that these demonstrations help them develop a conceptual understanding of the material. I have also used some of them with high school and middle school classes with some success.

Demo #1: Rheology

Demo #2: Seismic Waves

Demo #3: Reflection

Demo #4: Standing Waves

Demo #5: Rigidity and Velocity

Demo #6: Earthquake Machine

Demo #7: Earthquake Location

Demo #8: Building Resonance

Demo #9: Density of the Earth

Demo #10: Precession

Demo #11: The Shadow Zone

Demo #12: The Magnetic Field

Demo #13: Curie Temperature

Demo #14: The Core Dynamo

Demo #15: Earth Calendar

Questions or comments: jbarker@binghamton.edu

Last modified: March 18, 1996 (content), June 6, 2021 (reformatted and moved to Google sites)