Feedback from our Visitors

Here's where I will post the helpful hints from those who stop by.

From Philip Edward Lewis <flip@nospam.andrew.cmu.edu>:
I've used a chunk of dry ice about the size of a six sided die to
carbonize a 1 liter bottle of water. Some concerns I might raise is
that the dry ice should be food grade if consumption of the desired
liquid is anticipated. You can use fruit juice or some flavored drink
mix to make your own soft drinks. This also works for carbonating wine
to get a sparkling drink....
I like your site... great things for kids to do. a few others:

make a prism out of dish of water and mirror.
crush a bottle/can with an ice cube: trick is to get the container full of very hot air, [Editor's Note: Put boiling water into the plastic bottle (use a funnel!), let it fill with steam] then seal it up. take an ice cube and touch the outside and the air pressure outside will crush it. it works with 2 liter bottles, but not as well as with olive oil cans (metal is a much better conductor of the heat)
mix cornstarch and water together to the "right" proportions and you get a slime which acts like the slime you made with borax and PVA
(experiment for the right proportions) Oobleck a la Dr. Seuss.
Use iodine to test for starch
Make crystals from: Hydrated magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salt), Sodium Chloride, Sugar, and many many other household chemicals.
study refraction of those crystals (with laser possibly)
graph bounce heights of various balls to see how much energy is lost per bounce.
grow daphnia/hydra/cyclops/etc. from pond water.
make an ecosphere from water plants, snails, and above critters
and many many more.

From Steve Battle <stephenbattle@nospam.sprintmail.com> [Remove the "?"]
Please mention in your "Home Lab" page, under "Electricity", to have the
power strip mounted _above_ the table top so spilled liquids do not
splash or run into the outlets openings. A "Ground Fault" receptacle
will prevent an accidental electrocution at any rate. These are some
"should haves" that are discussed "after the fact".
Thank you for your attention, and maintaining these wonderful pages
furthering our interest in science.
!!! REMOVE THE "?" TO REPLY !!!
?stephenbattle@sprintmail.com

...and if that's not the truth, may I be struck by

lightning from the Heavens abo#%!>]>%}&[{]]]]]]]]

ERROR: HIGH VOLTAGE INTERRUPT!

NO CARRIER

Hi,

I just found your animation page, and I think it's great. There's one
animation trick I used to do as a kid that I think you'll like. It's
essentially a 2-page flipbook made from a single piece of paper folded in
half like a greeting card. The cover of the "card" and the place where the
message would be each have one of two similar pictures. Something that
shows a simple repetitive motion is best (my favorite is a woodpecker
poised to peck a tree, and in contact with the tree). Roll the cover
around a pencil so that it's curled enough to see the inside picture. Use
the pencil to quickly roll and unroll the cover. I would sketch the cover
picture, then draw over it hard enough to make an impression on the inside,
and use that impression as a guide for the inside picture. I think it's a
neat trick for those without the time or patience to make a whole flipbook.

Thanks again for a great site.

Cheers,

Tony Palombella
!!! REMOVE THE "?" TO REPLY !!!
<palo?mbella@monmouth.com>

When my daughter was in fifth grade she did a science experiement with three jars of water and three eggs. One jar was only water and the egg sank. One jar was only salt water and the egg floated to the top. The third jar was half water and we siphoned in salt water with a straw, therby, making the third egg float in the middle of the waters. She won third prize at her science fair and would have gotten first if we had been on time. She is now a mother herself. We can hardly wait to let her kids do such an experiment, even if it only at home.

Dear Brian, I am in sixth grade and we are having a science fair. I would like to do an experiment with dry ice that I saw on tv. The man blew bubbles over an aquarium filled with dry ice and fog and the bubbles didn't sink. they hung in the fog for a very long time. I have tried this at home and it works the same. I timed how long it took bubbles to drop to the table without dry ice, over regular ice cubes and over dry ice. I have all my data and information, but.... I'm not sure how to explain what happened. Why do the bubbles hang in the fog? Is it because the CO2 is denser? If you could explain this to me it would help me with the question section of the science fair. Thanks for your info. I hope you can help Evan Klug

Hey Brian I got a blue ribbion! I got the three best scores I could get. Thanks alot for your help, I really needed it. Evan Klug

HI, I`m a 6 grader in Huntsville AL. Every six weeks our teacher makes us do a science experment. there are 90 people in the sixth grade and after a while it`s hard to find a good science experment. Your science experments helped alot. THANKS! P.S. E-mail me some time. my E-male adress i Hunter8109@nospam.aol.com

Read your web page on making fog. Here's a good one for you. You can buy propylene glycol as "animal-safe automobile antifreeze" or as "RV-water system non-toxic antifreeze", or the way I get it, as the reagent chemical from a veterinary supply (ketosis treatment for dairy cattle). One gallon for something like six bucks. Cheapest way to get "food/medical grade". Mix one ounce distilled water with one ounce of propylene glycol. Heat an old metal pan up until it is about 400 degrees F. Toss the two ounces into the hot pan. The room will quickly fill with dense white fog, that is relatively non toxic, and non-staining (fog juice sold for the commercial fog units is polyethylene glycol, it slimes everything and never evaporates while proylene glycol quickly eliminates itself). The refraction index for propylene glycol is very good, and I find it is an excellent fog to use with lasers for "beam effects". :)
Steve Quest squest@nospam.cris.com

There is a very beautiful crystal like growth I discovered while attempting another process that is very easy to produce. They are pale whittish green in color and have very fragile tendril like protrusions. I have no Idea what the exact proportions are right now, I have them written down somewhere... To a small amount of muriatic acid, slowly add aluminum until no reaction can be seen to take place. at this time add common bleach to the mixture. It should form a dense gel like consistency. allow this to set for a day, then using an eyedropper transfer a small portion of the gel like substance to a piece of paper and let it set for a day. when you come back there will be a very beautiful structure. I am not too sure that it is actually a crystaline formation, but they are beautiful nevertheless. One drawback from this procedure is the potentially dangerous fumes created in the process.
Ted Rowland tedrowland@nospam.hotmail.com

you should try making a simple laser show machine with rotating mirrors... Attach a small circular mirror (diameter = ca. 3 cm in diamter) to a small electric engine. When you shine the laser on the mirror you get a reflected laser circle. Direct this mirror towards a second mirror-engine (with a slightly larger mirror) and you will get a quite complex and cool reflection pattern. If you add even a third mirro-engine you should be able to create very complex figures and shapes with your engines. For good results, add regulatable resistor to each power source such that you can regulate the speed of each mirror. Now you can combine different "mirror frequencies" with each other and get totally different patterns. Try it... its really cool for parties etc.! Sincerely Henrik Sahlin Pettersen henriksp@[nospam].geocities.com Trondheim Young Scientists (Norway)

Updated 28 April 2004

I'm interested in any Feedback you might have. Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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