Lesson Five : Activities and Quizzes
Activity 5: Types and examples of pulsarsMaterials: Two flashlights, a dark room, and two volunteers.
Procedure: Give the two flashlights to the student. Have the student extend their arms straight out from their sides and slowly rotate at a constant rate. Have another student count the number of times one of the beams passes them for a minute; this is the frequency of the “pulsar.”
Then have the student with the two flashlights mover her arms so that one beam is pointing up at the ceiling at an angle and the other is pointing down towards the floor at an angle. Position the student so that only the downwards-pointing beam ever hits the audience (it may be necessary to place the student on a stool). Have another student find the frequency again. Point out to the students how only one beam of the “pulsar” is visible to them.
Finally, have the student point both flashlights perpendicular to the floor - one pointed straight at the ceiling, the other pointed straight at the floor. Now, have the student rotate; the audience does not see any light though! This demonstrates how a pulsar is always a neutron star but a neutron star is NOT always a pulsar!