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Hi Natasha,

You could try experimenting with an old record player turntable (substituting for the seismograph turning drum). Either have a circle of paper flat on the turntable or a 'column' paper roll around the turntable edge.

Rig up a pen attached to a retort stand/ruler without making it too rigid (maybe attach via an elastic band to hold it in one spot, but allow movement). The pen (preferably felt-tip) needs to be touching the paper.

Turn on the turntable and let the pen mark out a 'baseline' reading. Then (the fun part), try jumping up and down to see if the pen marks out vibrations.

I used to do a similar static demo on a desk top in a school classroom with varying success. I always wanted to try it with a turntable, so if you try it, let me know how it goes.

Cindy Chambers
Questacon Exhibition Services
Canberra, Australia

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