Demonstrations

Binary Star System

Code Number :	8B10.10
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Good
Principle :	Gravitational Interaction; Two-Body Problem
Area of Study :	Astronomy
Equipment :	Binary Star Demo (Two Balls on Rod, Small), Binary Star Demo (Two Balls on Rod, Large), magnetic ellipse drawing equipment.
Procedure :	No advanced preparation needed for the 2-ball system. The chalk boards in LR I and LR II are magnetic so it is just a matter of carrying the apparatus to that room. In LR 70 you will have to move in the magnetic blackboard optics board for this demo as the chalkboard is not magnetic is that room.

References

Haym Kruglak, "An Exercise on the Altitude of the Noon Sun", TPT, Vol. 30, # 4, Apr. 1992, p. 236.

Charles A. Eckroth, "Earth and Moon Motions Around Their Common Center Of Mass," TPT, Vol. 28, # 6, p. 425, (September 1990).

Raymond H. Bloomer, Jr., "A Model Eclipsing Binary Star System", TPT, Vol. 17, # 7, Oct. 1979, p. 456.

Alan L. Breitler, "Binary Stars and Light Curves", TPT, Vol. 7, # 8, Nov. 1969, p. 453.

Edward Eisner, "Aberration of Light from Binary Stars - A Paradox?", AJP, Vol. 35, # 9, Sept. 1967, p. 817.

Mp-8: Freier and Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.

Herbert Gursky, and Edward P. J. van den Heuvel, "X-ray Emitting Double Stars", Scientific American, Mar. 1975, p. 24.

Charles Day, "White Dwarf is Caught Hurling Its Outer Layers at Its Red Giant Companion", Physics Today, Oct. 2006, p. 17.

Gijs Nelemans, "Ultracompact Binary Stars," Physics Today, July 2006, p. 26.

Judith Lean, "Living with a Variable Sun," Physics Today, June 2005, p. 32 - 38.

"Binary Star and Center of Mass," PIRA News, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 22.
Janice VanCleave, "In Place," Astronomy for Every Kid - 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work, p. 24-25.
Janice VanCleave, "Balancing Point," Astronomy for Every Kid - 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work, p. 62-63.
#26, "Cover-up," Janice VanCleave's 204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky, and Wonderful Experiments.
#39., "Pairs," Janice VanCleave's 204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky, and Wonderful Experiments.
#40, "Uneven," Janice VanCleave's 204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky, and Wonderful Experiments.
7.36, "Binary Star Orbits", Project & Demonstrations in Astronomy by D.Tattersfield, p. 182.

James A. Van Allen, "Mean free paths of solar electrons (E_e > 4 keV) in the interplanetary medium", Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 103, # A12, Dec. 1998, p. 29,655.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille