Grants for Physics Outreach

Application form (pdf), and guidelines (pdf) for NYSS Outreach Grants

The deadline is April 1 for both paper and electronic submissions.

NYSS OUTREACH 2006-2007

Rochester-area students explore relativity

Students from Rochester, New York, with support from the New York State Section, set out to measure the life time of muons generated from cosmic rays. The primary goal of the experiment was to give a concrete example of particle physics and relativity in addition to a view into the experimental process. The primary science objective was to verify relativistic time dilation in muons. Students achieved this by sending their Black Box on a small locally chartered plane. The plane flew at different altitudes so as to see how the flux of muons from cosmic rays varied at different heights. Students measured how much the atmosphere slowed our stopped muons and corrected for this by taking into account atmospheric density at different altitudes.

Write-up (pdf)