SWING | AFTERDARK

Find physics in full swing at After Dark.

Learn how swinging legs loosen shoelace knots with mechanical engineer Christopher Daily-Diamond, and follow the curves of elite golf swings with Jessica Rose, Director of Stanford’s Motion and Gait Analysis Laboratory.

Catch the physics of baseball with former Exploratorium Art Director David Barker, and step up to the batting cage plate while staff from the Exploratorium Teacher Institute give science commentary from the sidelines. Explore pendulums, take a lesson in Lindy Hop, or simply jump on the dance floor while The Hot Baked Goods jive and wail. 

Swing Dance Lessons
With Ann Mony
7:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery, Kanbar ForumTake a crash course in swing dancing with two professional dancers from Shimmytown, a monthly series of lessons, workshops, and swing-era social dances founded by Ann Mony. Get the tools to swing dance with anyone, and practice your new skills to a live jazz band, The Hot Baked Goods.

No partner or experience required but a sense of fun is especially welcome. Space is limited; first come, first served.

The Perfect Golf Swing 
With Jessica Rose
7:00 p.m.
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
From backswing to follow-through, learn how the swing dynamics of professional golfers offer a glimpse into the efficient nature of human movement - and serve as benchmarks for recreational golfers aiming to increase their driving distance on the greens. By analyzing the highly consistent motion of the pros, Dr. Rose reveals important aspects of shoulder and hip rotation that create an effective golf swing, a rapid motion that lasts about a second in duration.

Swinging the Lumber
With David Barker
8:00 p.m.
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
Baseball players, are intuitive scientists, and the ball field (or backyard, or street) is their laboratory. By experimenting with the forces controlling the game, and with the equipment they utilize, players attempt to get the results they want. The baseball bat’s material and construction, how it’s swung, and where it impacts the ball are all crucial to hitting the ball well and far.  And although the batter may not realize it, these factors can all be explained scientifically.

Shoelace Knots Untied
With Christopher Daily-Diamond
9:00 p.m.
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
Sooner or later, most of us have looked down to see that our shoelaces have come undone, despite the snug knot we’d previously tied. Have you ever wondered why? Learn how striking feet and swinging legs can suddenly loosen shoelace knots with mechanical engineer Christopher Daily-Diamond. By researching the interplay of impact and inertia that unravel common shoelace knots, Daily-Diamond aims to understand even more complex knots, such as strands of DNA.