ACTIVITIES
Activities for Everyone
Play the Black Hole Hunter Game
Can you hear the gravitational wave signal of two black holes colliding? (Cardiff University, Universities of Birmingham, Glasgow and Southampton in the UK in collaboration with the Albert Einstein Institute and Milde Marketing in Germany)Operate LIGO
Take the controls of a virtual gravitational wave interferometer. (American Museum of Natural History)An Interactive Virtual Tour of LIGO
An up-close view of LIGO's facilities (American Museum of Natural History)Activities for the Classroom
Classroom Activities Dealing With Gravitational Wave Signals
(by The Pennsylvania State University)Searching for Signal in the Noise: a Gravitational Wave Icebreaker Activity
LIGO scientists must analyze noisy data in order to discover the 'signal' -- the faint patterns of gravitational waves. In this activity students will search for the evidence of simulated gravitational waves in noisy data sets. Although the activity's discussion centers on the science of gravitational waves, the method of data analysis that the students will encounter is used across the sciences.
Hands-On Gravitational Wave Astronomy: Extracting Astrophysical Information from Simulated Signal
In this activity students will extract information related to the mass and distance of an astrophysical source by using plots of simulated gravitational wave signals. The process that the students will undertake mimics the way that real gravitational wave analysis occurs.
I2U2 (Interactions in Understanding The Universe): LIGO eLab
This interactive laboratory for teachers and students makes LIGO seismometer data available for investigations via the Web. Find other I2U2 resources from the project's main page.Interferometers in the Classroom
Build a Michelson Interferometer SimulatorUsing string and wave templates, student become familiar with the multistep sensing chain used to search for gravitational waves.
Build an Inexpensive Working Michelson Interferometer
Build a working, small scale interferometer with easily attainable components (like a laser pointer) for under $150.