MEETING MINUTES
April 20, 1999
OFFICERS
Ruth Sulik, President
Eric Wanner, Vice-President
Harry Schumann, Treasurer
Ron E. Seward Jr., Secretary
This month's meeting was at the University of Utah physic
department. Anthony White provided refreshments, and Jess Cone
introduced our lecturer Professor Zigmund Peacock. In attendance were
Ed Rock, Anthony White, Ron Seward, Bob Rees, Danny Rees, Ether Rees,
Carol Esterreicher, Dave Johnson, Salvador Rodriguez, Dian Thomas,
Kathy Loveless, Ruth Sulik, Murlin Ray Wenzel, Ron Nelson, Jess A.
Cone, Jim Davis, Mel Armstrong, Veda Nelson, Benjamin Yang, Becky
Nelson, Quentin Smith, Steve Simbeck, Brad L. Gordon, Chris Fair, Kim
Walkowski, Tamera Wilson, Andrew Baerlocker, and Harry Schumann.
Professor Peacock's lecture was on magic using principles of
physics. He started by showing how an object could disappear when
placed in a liquid. The physic principle used in this illusion is
based upon two substances have the same index of refraction. In this
case, the test tube placed in the liquid has the same index of
refraction as the liquid.
He then explained effects based upon magnetism and electricity. In
one demonstration he placed a stack of tin pie pans on top of a
silver ball. One at a time, the pie pans levitated off the ball and
flew across the table. This is a very eerie effect, but based on a
very simple physic principle of static electricity. The tin pie pans
and the silver ball are negative charged. The negatively charged ball
repulses the negatively charged pie pans, which causes the pie pans
to fly off the silver ball. This would be a very spooky effect in a seance.
We would like to thank Professor Peacock for sharing his time with
us. We all learned a great many things that we could use to develop
new magical effects. Thank you, Professor Zigmund Peacock.
