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)
COPYRIGHT © 1997-2004, Brian Wesley Rich
Updated 28 April 2004
I'm interested in any Feedback
you might have. Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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