University of Colorado at Boulder physics Professor John Taylor, also known as the original "Mr. Wizard," will present a program titled "Why Things Move" Jan. 15 as part of the annual CU Wizards series.
The free hour-long show will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Duane Physics room G1B30.
During the show Taylor plans to lie on a bed of nails, pull a tablecloth out from under a set of china and show a video of himself walking on fire, all in the name of science. The audience will learn about motion and what makes things move. Taylor also explains how two seemingly different topics, such as motion and heat, can turn out to be one and the same.
Audience members also get to participate in the show and will use skateboards to demonstrate Newton's third law, which states "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."
CU Wizards is usually held the third Saturday of each month during the academic year and focuses on astronomy, chemistry and physics. Though intended primarily for students in grades five through nine, the shows are educational and entertaining to people of all ages.
Taylor created the CU Wizards program in 1976 with former CU-Boulder physics Professor Jim Scott. Taylor received an Emmy Award for the television installments "Physics for Fun," which he helped produce and aired from 1988 to 1990.
For more information about CU Wizards call (303) 492-6952 or visit .