ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. ***************************************************************************** It is a great idea. However I can see certain challenges to be overcome. You won't easily be able to test this in advance, so careful calculations will be needed plus accurate predictions of people's behaviour. Either they won't direct enough light, or they will focus a dazzling mini-sun that melts the solar panels. Or the majority may decide to aim their mirrors at some other target. Archimedes is said to have set the Roman fleet on fire in this way with his army's polished shields. Heaven help the rock band if the audience dislikes their performance... Cheap flexible mirrors probably won't be suitable unless you can somehow make sure they are flat enough, and plexiglass mirrors may work out too expensive. Maybe print the event programme on stiff, shiny-silvered recycled card? You'll have to teach them how to 'aim' their sunbeams using the head of the person in front as a kind of foresight. Instead of relying on people cooperating for any length of time, maybe set up a giant rotating flower or some other sculpture driven by normal sunlight on the solar panel, and challenge the audience to try to speed it up periodically? (Shame on you if you are tempted to fake this!) Aside from practicality and safety, the most impressive and most popular demo would be for your crowd to use their mirrors to set fire to something. It WOULD be cost-effective to issue, say, just a hundred people with notebook-sized plexiglass mirrors. Look at this YouTube movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDkOaPp_6ug Promoting public engagement with science through a contagious delight in phenomena * [log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk * Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour. Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime. * Ian Russell -----Original Message----- From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tal Berman Sent: 20 February 2009 15:27 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Earth Day ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. **************************************************************************** * Hallo all thank you so very much for your fast reply. Although you all really took to the subject, everyone somehow focused on museum exhibits. The event we are asked to plan is a mass event for a crowd of around 5000 people- something more similar to the Albedo event we participated in last year. An idea that came up we named "Human sun tower". The idea is to put up a screen made of solar panels, at the southern corner of the parking lot and to give thousands of high school students that will be present at that time small mirrors to focus the sun`s rays onto the panels. When we stretched this idea a bit we thought to have a rock band on scene and have their amplifier be sensitive to the current from the solar panels so to encourage the participants to focus the sun`s rays to make sure the amplifier stays beyond the 85dB. Since we are a little acquainted with these teenagers smoking habits we may be able as a byproduct to explain atmospheric dispersion through smoke. Do you see this idea come to live? Is it feasible? thank you for your efforts, Tal *********************************************************************** For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org. Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org. The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html. To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to [log in to unmask]