Session GP1 - Poster Session IV.
POSTER session, Tuesday afternoon, October 30
Exhibit Hall B,
The General Atomics fusion education program ``Scientist in the Classroom" now in its fourth year, uses scientists and engineers to present ``Plasma the 4th State of Matter," to students in the classroom. Physical models developed for this presentation are used to demonstrate plasma characteristics and concepts from topical areas associated with plasma producing devices; e.g. vacuum, electricity, and light.\par Using hands-on equipment, students see how magnets, gas pressure changes, and ionization potential levels affect plasmas. A piston, sealed volume, and vacuum chamber illuminate the ideal gas laws. Liquid nitrogen is used to explore thermodynamic temperature effects and changes in states of matter, through the cooling of different gases. The physical models used in this program were developed with the tight budget of teachers in mind, using simple designs and common commercial materials. The details of these models will be presented. Three very successful ``build-it" days have been sponsored to enable teachers to build these physics models for use in their own classrooms.