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[Arx]

Alright, so I have been offered the opportunity to do an experimental physics project at my university. If my proposal is good and they approve it, they'll fund the project and provide the necessary equipment and so on. I have about eight months or so to do it in; the proposal is due 27th March. For obvious reasons, it can't be anything ridiculous like a particle accelerator or other really large or expensive device - the university isn't actually made of money.

There's one small hitch. I don't really have much in mind to do. Something ridiculous like testing an EmDrive or a Cannae drive would be pretty cool, but kind of in the 'silly zone'.

So, make some suggestions! Preferably reasonably serious ones. Ideally with a significant hands-on component, although I will think about slightly more theoretical ones and bounce them off the lab convenor.

[Sergarr]

First question: what's your area of physics? Thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, nuclear physics, material science?

[MonkeyHead]

As a physicist, this is relevant to my interests, and my interests are relevant to it. PTW.

[Arx]

First question: what's your area of physics? Thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, nuclear physics, material science?

Sufficiently low-level that I could probably swing most of those things if I tried hard enough. Nuclear physics probably won't fly due to budget constraints, although I could try, but I could probably do something in pretty much ask the other fields.

It does rule out much of the super-cool stuff because it's relatively low-level (not helped by the hands -on requirement either) but there's also a lot that isn't.

[Sergarr]

First question: what's your area of physics? Thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, nuclear physics, material science?

Sufficiently low-level that I could probably swing most of those things if I tried hard enough. Nuclear physics probably won't fly due to budget constraints, although I could try, but I could probably do something in pretty much ask the other fields.

It does rule out much of the super-cool stuff because it's relatively low-level (not helped by the hands -on requirement either) but there's also a lot that isn't.

"low-level" doesn't mix well with "reasonably serious experimental project"... I guess there's always the "let's verify the universal constants, again", which can be relatively simple to implement, but still, are you really sure you don't have any preferences, or favourite areas of physics that you can say that you know about or like it more than the others?

[Sensei]

Build an electromagnectic boat! Or just a thruster. I'd bet you can make a (model size) one that works well enough to demonstrate the concept. It's really just a railgun with water, you could probably make a measurable current with stuff from the hardware store, but a few relatively expensive magnets the university can provide.

You could probably also build a nuclear reactor, like that one kid, within the university's budget, if you can get appropriate shielding/safety approval.

[Arx]

First question: what's your area of physics? Thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, nuclear physics, material science?

Sufficiently low-level that I could probably swing most of those things if I tried hard enough. Nuclear physics probably won't fly due to budget constraints, although I could try, but I could probably do something in pretty much ask the other fields.

It does rule out much of the super-cool stuff because it's relatively low-level (not helped by the hands -on requirement either) but there's also a lot that isn't.

"low-level" doesn't mix well with "reasonably serious experimental project"...

To clarify, I mainly mean that I'm obviously not going to be doing bleeding edge research 'cause that's all super pricy and I don't actually have a doctorate. But it's able to be significantly beyond the level of measuring g or whatever. The spec is literally 'whatever interests you'.

As for fields that interest me, sure, there are lots. There are a handful of projects I already kind of have in mind. The point of this is in case there's something I haven't thought of that's actually pretty cool, since obviously I won't know about it.

Build an electromagnectic boat! Or just a thruster. I'd bet you can make a (model size) one that works well enough to demonstrate the concept. It's really just a railgun with water, you could probably make a measurable current with stuff from the hardware store, but a few relatively expensive magnets the university can provide.

You could probably also build a nuclear reactor, like that one kid, within the university's budget, if you can get appropriate shielding/safety approval.

Huh, the electromagnetic stuff is neat.

Budget isn't necessarily going to be the issue with building a nuclear reactor. Their budget is probably more generous than their paranoia.

[Sergarr]

The point of this is in case there's something I haven't thought of that's actually pretty cool

Well, you can try testing the effects of rotating magnetic fields on liquid solutions with suspended ferromagnetic needles in it.

[10ebbor10]

Well, if you don't wan't anyone to take you seriously, you can build a cold fusion reactor. Apperently the thing's blueprints are out in the open now.

https://animpossibleinvention.com/2016/02/24/breaking-the-e-cat-has-been-replicated-hers-the-recipe

[Helgoland]

You could build a device for isotope separation - there's various fairly low-tech (ie non-centrifuge) technologies for that, calutrons for example. Or go all the way and build a synchrotron! That's probably the most accessible type of particle accelerator out there.