The lecture audience was not required to solve equations or make any calculations, but in his real class, the students do the math. Lynn Orr illustrates the value of hands-on demonstrations in teaching mathematical concepts. Sometimes the experiments don't go as smoothly as planned. During last Thursday's presentation, it took Orr a few tries to get the bubble to stay put and not pop. A jet of liquid streams out and then breaks up into drops before it hits the page.
Capillary forces are at work here.
Orr's students also have looked at other everyday things. Recently, they solved differential equations about the shape of a raindrop hanging from a leaf after a rainstorm. But as interesting as these assignments are, students still ask why it's worth putting their effort into math. The next lecture in the series will feature linguistics Associate Professor Peter Sells at noon Thursday, Feb. 24, in the Landau Economics Building, Room 134. Tracy Hampton is a freelance science writer.