Hair-raising experiments and mad scientists took over the corridors of Kelly Thompson Hall on Tuesday night for the second annual Nightmare on Physics Ave. 

The Department of Physics and Department of Astronomy, in collaboration with the Society of Physics Students, Women in Physics, and the Hilltopper Astronomy Club, organized the event. Participants from WKU and the larger Bowling Green community were encouraged to dress in costume to participate in 34 different Halloween-themed experiments. 

“Anybody that takes a physics class is going to see certain physics principles demonstrated from time to time,” said Chris Chandler, the Hardin Planetarium coordinator who helped organize the event. “We have taken a lot of potential physics demonstrations, and we’ve Halloweenized them a bit.”

Nightmare on Physics Ave. had unique demonstrations for participants led by professors or volunteers.

Noelle Eubanks, a sophomore middle school science education major, led participants in an activity called Great Balls of Fire. Participants collided two steel spheres through a sheet of paper, creating thermal energy that caused small burn holes in the paper.

Eubanks said many people were shocked by the reaction, especially the burning smell of the paper. 

“It’s really fun, especially for younger kids… to get to participate and see how it actually works, gets them a little bit more interested in science and understanding it a little bit deeper,” Eubanks said.

Participants were able to engage with the demonstration and learn the science behind it.

Brennan Edwards, a junior physics major, demonstrated the power of electrical currents through Zap the Prisoner. Edwards showed how an electric conductor couldn’t pass through the Faraday cage, an enclosure that blocks some electromagnetic fields, donned by Associate Professor of Physics Ivan Novikov. 

Edwards said that some people enjoy seeing the sparks fly when the conductor touched the cage, while others are naturally inquisitive about why it didn’t shock Novikov inside 

“It’s really nice being able to be an entertainer for some people and an educator for others,” Edwards said.

Chandler said that the goal of the event was for participants to leave not understanding how certain demonstrations worked and then figure it out on their own. 

“Toy with things, play with things,” Chandler said. “Don’t just read an answer, get your hands dirty.”