SU Physics Department presents magnetism program Oct. 23

SU Physics Department presents magnetism program Oct. 23October 18, 2007Rob Enslinrmenslin@syr.edu

The Department of Physics at Syracuse University is presenting “That’s Repulsive: The Marvels of Magnetism” as part of its popular Tuesday Night Lecture Series (formerly Saturday Morning Physics) Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Physics Building’s Stolkin Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public; parking is available in the University’s visitor pay lots.

Sam Sampere, manager of the physics department’s lecture demonstration facility, will provide a historical overview of magnetism, as well as discuss and demonstrate its major discoveries and breakthroughs. The evening concludes with an examination and possible demonstration of “giant magnetoresistance,” the process by which the resistance of certain materials dramatically changes as a magnetic field is applied. This discovery led to the 2007 Nobel Prize in physics.

“Everyone has played with magnets since their childhood, yet few people really know how they work or what use they have for them, except for hanging graded papers on the refrigerator,” says Sampere. “Magnetic phenomena are amazing because you cannot see how they interact with objects. Nevertheless, these interactions have profound and interesting effects.”

Sampere is a nationally recognized physics demonstrator who leads workshops that teach collegiate physics instructors how to build and incorporate demonstrations in their classrooms.

The Department of Physics is housed in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences. More information about The College is available at http://TheCollege.syr.edu. For more information about the Tuesday Night Lecture Series, call 443-5958 or visit http://physics.syr.edu/TuesdayNight.