Day 5 Carnegie Museums and Phipps Conservatory

What a wonderful day we had in Pittsburgh.  I have not visited a museum in many years.  And, the experiences today truly stirred something within me.

The first exhibit I visited was, of course, dinosaurs.  There were various fossil specimens, but of course the T-Rex specimens took my breath away.  Just thinking being stalked by such a powerful creature sent chills up my back.

The next exhibit visited was Ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian exhibit was vey moving, as it showed many artifacts thousands of years old.  But, my favorite exhibit was the Roads to Arabia.

Unfortunately, this exhibit did not allow photographs.  In essence the exhibit displays newly discovered artifacts from Saudi Arabia.  The history is Saudi Arabia was described through these artifacts and revealed a rich cultural identity for the people of this region.  I was particularly taken back the incense trade and its effects on the region.  Frankly, the fortunes of the people here relied on the trading of incense for prosperity before the recognition and discovery of oil; I was unaware of this prior.

Overall, this has been the most enjoyable day of our journey.  I know I usually incorporate physics applications in my posts.  However, for today I would simply like to offer some advice.  If a chance ever arrives to visit a museum, grab the bull by both horns.  The history that you discover is every bit as powerful as any law of physics.  And, you will be surprised just how much fun it is to explore the past.

Day 4 Mosser Glass - Ohio and temperature conversion

Today became a three state adventure covering West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In Ohio, we visited Mosser Glass in Cambridge. Some of the pieces here were simply magnificent. We were given a tour of two manufacturing runs. One run was producing a clear glass plate. The second was producing a red pitcher.

One point that our guide made was the temperature of the glass reaches roughly 2400 degrees Fahrenheit. We must remember that there are three primary constitutes of glass, each with a role: SiO2 (silica) acts as a former; Na2CO3 (sodium carbonate) lowers the melting point is called a flux; CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) serves to make the glass water resistant and is known as a stabilizer.

2400 degrees Fahrenheit seems to be the temperature needed to make glass; pretty much all of our guides/experts have given this temperature. I thought for this post we would just take moments to review temperature conversions.

The rules/equations for temperature conversions are as follows:
1. C = 5/9( F-32)
2. F = 9/5C - 32
3. K = C + 273.15

Two points of concern. First do not forget the parentheses in equation. If you can believe, I have seen text books which omit the parentheses; this changes the order of operation and will give the wrong answer. Second K represents Kelvins. It is a needed scale because it gives an absolute zero value making the Ideal Gas Law possible. But please, do not say, "..... degrees Kelvin." This is incorrect. It is simply Kelvins.

Now, almost all of the glass we have seen produced, including Mosser, have a secondary heating oven which is usually about 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's see you convert both oven temperatures to Centigrade and Kelvin.

Day 3 Homer Laughlin and Pascal's Principle

The third day of our trip found us visiting Homer Laughlin China in Newell, WV. Homer Laughlin produces Fiesta Dinnerware, a very popular ceramic set. To be frank, we received one of the most complete and thorough tours we have experienced.

In the morning, our guide took us through the history of Homer Laughlin which originated at the turn of the 20th Century. The company has been passed down through several generations and is an extremely important employer to the region. Moreover, we as consumers can easily expect to see some of their remarkable craftsmanship anywhere from the Green Brier to Applebee's. On a personal note, my mother-in-law has been a collector of a china set named Blue Willow. This particular design was manufactured by none other than Homer Laughlin.

The afternoon tour was an intense experience whereby our guides took us through the entire process to produce several of their best selling products. I was overwhelmed by the eye-opening physics applications used in the manufacturing process. Frankly, we could cover our entire curriculum of this one experience.

One particular concept that which can be seen in the attached photos is Pascal's principle. The manufacturing process relied heavily on the use of hydraulics. And, almost all hydraulic concepts rely on Pascal's Principle; pay particular attention to the cylinders used during compressions and liftings. Let's review Pascal's principle.

Pascal's principle 1tells us that pressure is transmitted undiminished through a confined fluid. It's application is seen everywhere from hydraulic lifts in garages to the very brake system used to stop your vehicle. Yes, Pascal's Principle is used to make the dinner ware you eat off of and to keep you from wrecking your car. Here are the basics:

Pressure (P) equals force divided by area : P = F/A.
Consider a cylinder 1 - it has a piston with an area given as 2pir^2. Cylinder 2 also has a piston with its area as 2pir^2.
P1 = P2 ( Pascal's principle) - input must equal output.
F/A = F/A - input must equal output.

Let's see the principle at work. Suppose we have a hydraulic system with an input cylinder having a piston with a radius of 2cm and an output cylinder with a piston 14cm in radius. Now, if an input force is applied at 200 newtons, what output force must be generated due to Pascal's principle? Please note work/energy is conserved so the input piston must move a greater distance than than the output piston.

Day 2 Wissmach Glass, Marble King and Simple Machines

Today we were fortunate to visit Wissmach Glass and Marble King in Paden City, WVa. At Wissmach Glass produces sheet glass for a wide variety of customers including ones on an international basis. We were lucky enough to be able to enter the production floor and see firsthand the process.

One thing that stood out to me was the incorporation of each of the six-simple machines: lever, wedge, wheel and axle, screw, incline plane, and pulley. Check out the attached pictures and see if you can identify simple machines. Remember, all machines are in essence one or more simple machines in combination. Also, focus your memory to the calculation for the mechanical advantage for each machine. For a hint, the general formula is MA = F output/ F input; a machine multiplies the output force or torque applied.

Please note the cutting tool in the last picture. The edge is, of course, sharp. Yet, we as students of physics should looking a little closer. Let us consider pressure (P). Quantitatively, pressure is force divided by area - P = F/A. The sharpness of the cutting tool used on the glass actually accounts for a dramatic increase in applied pressure. Think of it. If the surface area of the tool is decreased ( sharpened) a greater pressure is generated mathematically. This also explains why a sharp knife ( small area) is better at cutting your steak than a dull knife ( big area).

Day 1 Gabbert Cullet, Fenton Glass, Ogelbay Museum and Kinetic Theory of Glasses

Greetings! Today was the first leg of journey exploring the glass and ceramic industries of West Virginia. The day started with a visit to Gabbert Cullet in Williamstown, WVa. Cullet, by simple definition is the recyclable glass. One of the more interesting points taken from this experience was the glass being separated by hand into color schemes. Next, our group visited Fenton Glass, also in Williamstown. Fenton Glass is no longer in active production, as it has succumbed to the harsh realities of economics. Our last visit was to Ogelbay Glass Museum where our group was lucky enough to participate in the production process for creating a glass vase.

The glass vase experience demonstrated a unique physics concept that is important to our class: Kinetic Theory of Gases. The included images show the artist blowing air into the molten glass and then covering the tube with his thumb. This prevents the air from escaping. Now, the trapped air is subject to the heat energy of the molten glass. The heat speeds up the random motion of the air molecules intensifying the collisions with the walls of the molten glass; this causes the molten glass to expand. Yet, what equations can we use to explain this phenomenon? This needs to be stressed greatly; when you are in doubt about how to describe a natural occurrence mathematically, look back to Newton's Laws and/or Work-Energy. Let's use Newton's Laws. We are all familiar with the 2nd Law - F=ma. However another way of describing this is to consider an impulse.

An impulse (J or I) is defined as a force applied over a time period, or F delta t. This is also equal to a change in momentum (p). Momentum is equal to mass * velocity. Now consider the air molecules in the molten glass. Their mass is unchanged, but the heat causes the velocities to increase. As the velocities increase, the force applied to the walls of the molten glass increases pushing the glass outward or causing it to expand. The expansion will cease as, 1. heat energy dissipates, and 2. the expanded walls begin to rob the air molecules of their kinetic energy by way of friction and the increased distance of travel.