(no subject)

[meanfreepath]

In reference to my last post, I should clarify that we don't actually shake the particle shaker directly as it's inside the vacuum chamber. Instead, it is mounted on a rod that connects to the outside. Everybody seems to have their own favorite way of exciting vibrations in the rod and hence shaking out particles; I've seen my prof flick it with his finger, my postdoc uses an Allen wrench to tap the rod, and I personally like to do the same with a particular Phillips screwdriver.