Amazing Science Experiment

MAKE A LEVITATING ORB

You Will Need

• 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide PVC Pipe about 24 inches (60cm) long. You can also use a regular balloon if you do not have PVC pipe.
• Mylar tinsel for Christmas trees. There are many types of tinsel - you should look for the thinnest and narrowest possible. The tinsel used in the video is about 1 millimeter wide. If it is much wider than that, the orb may be too heavy to levitate. (see below to get tinsel from Bob)
• A head of clean, dry hair
• Scissors

What to Do

1. Arrange 6 strands of mylar together and tie them together in a knot at one end.
2. Tie them together again about 6 inches (15cm) from the first knot.  
3. Cut the loose mylar strands off just past each knot.
4. Charge the PVC pipe by rubbing it back and forth through your hair for 10 seconds.
5. Hold the mylar orb (by the knot) above the charged pipe and let it drop and touch the pipe.
6. It should repel away and start floating. If the tinsel keeps sticking to the pipe, the tinsel is probably not thin enough and you will need to try another kind of tinsel or order some from us. (You will usually have to "recharge" the pipe before each levitation.)

  

How Does It Works????

It is all about static charges. Similar static charges repel away from each other. When you rub the pipe in your hair you give the pipe a negative static charge. The orb is attracted to the pipe at first because the orb has a positive charge. As soon as the orb touches the pipe, it picks up a negative charge. Since the pipe is negative and the tinsel orb is now negative, they repel away from each other and the orb levitates! The orb will also take on more of a "ball" appearance when charged since all the tinsel strands are repelling away from each other. Did you notice the orb is attracted to other objects around you - including you? That is because most objects (including you) have a positive charge.

Make It An Experiment

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions: 

1. Does the number of mylar strands affect how well the orb levitates? 2. Do different materials (hair, fur, wool) build up better static charges? 3. How long does the static charge last / how can you make it last longer? 4. Do different widths of pipe affect the floating ability of the orb?

For make it more clear, lets watch the video........

Read More

Amazing Science Experiment

BLOBS IN A BOTTLE

You Will Need

• A clean 1 liter clear soda bottle
• 3/4 cup of water
• Vegetable Oil
• Fizzing tablets (such as Alka Seltzer)
• Food coloring

What to Do

1. Pour the water into the bottle.
2. Use a measuring cup or funnel to slowly pour the vegetable oil into the bottle until it's almost full. You may have to wait a few minutes for the oil and water separate. 
3. Add 10 drops of food coloring to the bottle (we like red, but any color will look great.) The drops will pass through the oil and then mix with the water below. 
4. Break a seltzer tablet in half and drop the half tablet into the bottle. Watch it sink to the bottom and let the blobby greatness begin!
5. To keep the effect going, just add another tablet piece. For a true lava lamp effect, shine a flashlight through the bottom of the bottle. 

 How Does It Works????

To begin, the oil stays above the water because the oil is lighter than the water or, more specifically, less dense than water. The oil and water do not mix because of something called "intermolecular polarity." That term is fun to bring up in dinner conversation. Molecular polarity basically means that water molecules are attracted to other water molecules. They get along fine, and can loosely bond together (drops.) This is similar to magnets that are attracted to each other. Oil molecules are attracted to other oil molecules, they get along fine as well. But the structures of the two molecules do not allow them to bond together. Of course, there’s a lot more fancy scientific language to describe density and molecular polarity, but maybe now you’ll at least look at that vinegrette salad dessing in a whole new way.

When you added the tablet piece, it sank to the bottom and started dissolving and creating a gas. As the gas bubbles rose, they took some of the colored water with them. When the blob of water reached the top, the gas escaped and down went the water. Cool, huh? By the way, you can store your "Blobs In A Bottle" with the cap on, and then anytime you want to bring it back to life, just add another tablet piece.

Make It An Experiment

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does the temperature of the water affect the reaction? 2. Does the size of the bottle affect how many blobs are produced? 3. Does the effect still work if the cap is put on the bottle? 4. Does the size of the tablet pieces affect the number of blobs created? 

For make it more clear, lets watch the video........

Read More

Amazing Science Experiment

Fantastic Foamy Fountain

You Will Need

• A clean 16 ounce plastic soda bottle
• 1/2 cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide liquid (20-volume is a 6% solution, ask an adult to get this from a beauty supply store or hair salon)
• 1 Tablespoon (one packet) of dry yeast
• 3 Tablespoons of warm water
• Liquid dish washing soap
• Food coloring
• Small cup
• Safety goggles 

What to Do

NOTE: As you can see from the picture, foam will overflow from the bottle, so be sure to do this experiment on a washable surface, or place the bottle on a tray.

1. Hydrogen peroxide can irritate skin and eyes, so put on those safety goggles and ask an adult to carefully pour the hydrogen peroxide into the bottle.
2. Add 8 drops of your favorite food coloring into the bottle.
3. Add about 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap into the bottle and swish the bottle around a bit to mix it.
4. In a separate small cup, combine the warm water and the yeast together and mix for about 30 seconds.
5. Now the adventure starts! Pour the yeast water mixture into the bottle (a funnel helps here) and watch the foaminess begin! 

 

 How Does It Works????

Foam is awesome! The foam you made is special because each tiny foam bubble is filled with oxygen. The yeast acted as a catalyst (a helper) to remove the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. Since it did this very fast, it created lots and lots of bubbles. Did you notice the bottle got warm. Your experiment created a reaction called an Exothermic Reaction - that means it not only created foam, it created heat! The foam produced is just water, soap, and oxygen so you can clean it up with a sponge and pour any extra liquid left in the bottle down the drain. This experiment is sometimes called "Elephant's Toothpaste" because it looks like toothpaste coming out of a tube, but don't get the foam in your mouth!

Make It An Experiment

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does the amount of yeast change the amount of foam produced? 
2. Does the experiment work as well if you add the dry yeast without mixing it with water? 
3. Does the size of the bottle affect the amount of foam produced?

For make it more clear, lets watch the video........

Read More