Do the Photon Experiment at Home

That's right! Amaze you friends with the do it yourself home photon experiment.

What you need; a small bead, string, plastic glass and a bunch of other colored beads of just dirt if you are cheap.

Tie the bead to the string. Place the bead in the bottom of the glass, the fill the glass with loose beads or dirt for you thrifty folks. Now slowly pull the bead up through the dirt or beads.

Now drill a small hole in the plastic glass, put the end of the string through the hole leaving the bead attached to the string outside of the glass. Carefully, fill the glass with loose beads or dirt. Now pull the bead back down through the glass to the bottom using the string running through the hole.

Which way was easier? Did it get easier or harder as you pulled? Why did the string break when you pulled too hard to bring the bead back down to the bottom?

Now you have an idea what a photon sees from the surface looking up and from up looking to the surface. If you actually spring for the real beads, use a larger bucket instead of a glass and run the string through the bead so it comes out of the bottom and the top, you can measure the differences in force required. Plot the force required at different depths in each direction. You are now an official Redneck Science student.

Fun?

Now locate the bead with the string on top and add a weight to the string out the bottom. Vibrate the bucket and watch the bead sink. The faster the vibrations, the faster it sinks.