YOU WILL NEED
wide-mouthed,
smooth, circular
glass jar or large
plain drinking glass
filled with water
small mirror
flashlight
DID YOU KNOW?
The mirror reflects
light that passes
back through the
water, traveling at an
angle. The water
refracts, or bends,
the light. As light
bends, it separates
into the colors of the
rainbowred,
orange, yellow,
green, blue, and
violet.
Illustration by
David Bamundo
HERES HOW
1. Place the mirror
inside the water-filled
jar. Tilt the mirror
slightly upward.
2. In a very dark
room with white
walls, shine the
flashlight onto the
mirror. A rainbow
appears! (Hint: If no
rainbow appears at
first, just change the
angle of light from
the flashlight or
change the angle of
the mirror.)
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) grape juice
Small, clear glass
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of baking
soda
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of white vinegar
First get permission to use kitchen equipment and ingredients.
1. Pour the grape juice into the glass.
2. Slowly mix the baking soda into the grape juice. The color at the top of the
juice will change to blue.
3. Now add the vinegar to the mixture, a drop at a time. The color will
change to pink where the vinegar drips.
4. When you pour out the liquid in the sink, notice how dark it has become.
Grape juice looks purple because its molecules are arranged in such a way
that it absorbs all the colors of light except purple. The purple reflects back
to your eyes. This is how you see color. Adding other substances changes the
molecular structure of grape juice, so its color changes.
Celery stalk
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of red food coloring
Tall, clear jar
Enough water to fill half the jar
First get permission to use kitchen equipment and
ingredients.
1. Pour the water in the jar. Add the red coloring.
2. Stand the celery in the glass.
3. Wait 24 hours, and the celery leaves will turn red.
The celery absorbs the waterand the coloringand carries it to the leaves.
Plants absorb water and minerals in a process called osmosis. In osmosis
liquids pass through a plant's membrane, or outer covering, and move
through its stem to its leaves.
Hurricanes are huge circular storms of wind, clouds, and rain that
form over warm tropical oceans. The clouds in a hurricane can be
seen as
circular bands that spiral around a
hurricanes eye. You can duplicate the
swirling
motion around the calm eye of a
hurricane.
Large round bowl or tub of water
Spoon
Food coloring with a dropper top
First get permission to use kitchen equipment and ingredients.
1. Moving the spoon in a circular motion around the side of a bowl, stir the
water.
2. When the water is moving fast, stop stirring and immediately put several
drops of food coloring into the center of the swirling water. The color will
move out from the center forming bandsmuch as clouds in a hurricane do.
Photograph by Richard T. Nowitz
1. Use a thumbtack to
punch a hole in the bottom
of each cup. Tack the five
cups to the cardboard, one
under another.
4. Now pour out the water from the
test run and fill the top cup again. Use
a timer and, at the end of every five
minutes, mark the water level on the
paper taped to the jar.
2. Tape the strip of paper
vertically on the glass jar,
and put the jar beneath the
bottom cup.
5. When all the water has dripped into
the jar, youll be able to use this
clock to keep track of time.
3. For a test run, fill the top
cup with water and make
sure the water drips
smoothly through each cup.
6. For example, start your water clock
again. Use the five-minute marks to
time how long it takes you to do your
homework, practice playing an
instrument, or setting the table.
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) light corn
syrup
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) glycerin
(available in drugstores)
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) water
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) vegetable oil
4 small glasses
1 tall, clear glass or jar
Food coloring
Funnel
First get permission to use
kitchen equipment and
ingredients.
1. Pour the corn syrup, glycerin, water, and vegetable oil into four separate
cups.
2. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the corn syrup. Add drops of blue
to the water. Do not color the oil or glycerin.
3. Pour the red syrup into the glass or jar. Try not to let it dribble down the
sides.
4. Use the funnel to pour the glycerin down the inside of the glass. Pour
carefully to avoid disturbing the bottom layer. Wash the funnel.
5. Repeat step 4, first adding the blue water, then the oil, washing the funnel
between steps. The liquids will stay in separate layers if you are careful not
to shake the glass.
Each liquid has its own density. You added liquids in order from highest to
lowest density. The oil stays on top because it is least dense.
You can bet a friend that you can put your
head through a hole in a 3-by-5-inch file
cardand win!
1. Fold the file card in half lengthwise and
make 13 partial cuts widthwise. First cut
through the folded side, then turn the card
around and cut toward the fold. Keep
repeating the process. (Cut to within a
quarter inch of the edges of the card.)
2. Very carefully open the card and cut
lengthwise along the fold. Do not cut the
two end sections.
3. Gently stretch the card as far as it will go
and put it over your head.
DID YOU KNOW?
The secret to this trick comes from a branch
of mathematics called topology. It teaches
that figures can be stretched without
changing their area.
Many kids have written to us asking for
recipes for slimy, goopy stuff. Heres a
recipe for Blue Goo. IMPORTANT: Blue
Goo is to play with, not to eat.
Illustration by Rick Stromoski
1. Mix together 2 tablespoons of white
glue and 2 tablespoons of water in a
paper cup.
2. In another paper cup, mix together
ten drops of blue food coloring, 1/4 cup
of water, and 3/4 teaspoon of borax
laundry detergent.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of the borax
mixture to the glue mixture and stir well.
4. Have fun playing with your Blue Goo.
Store it in an airtight container.
To avoid stains, be careful not to let blue
goo touch furniture, carpet, or clothing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Blue Goo is a non-Newtonian fluid,
which means it is neither a liquid nor a
solid but has properties of both.
Have you ever
seen a whirling
funnel of water
going down the
drain of your
bathtub? That
whirlpool is called a
water vortex. A vortex is a mass
of fluid that moves in a circular
motion to form a vacuum in its
center. A vortex works with water
much the same way a tornado
works with air. A vacuum action
tends to draw everything around
a vortex toward its center. You
can make your own water vortex
by following these directions.
YOU WILL NEED
two empty one-liter soft drink
bottles, rinsed out and with
labels removed
rubber or steel washer that
has a small hole and is the same
width as the tops of the bottles
roll of strong electrical, or
duct, tape
water
HERES HOW
1. Tape the washer to the
top of either bottle, as
shown. (Make sure the
tape doesnt cover the hole
in the washer.)
2. Fill that bottle threefourths full of water.
3. Place the empty bottle
upside down on top of the washer. Tape
the bottles securely together.
4. Turn the bottles over so the one on top
holds the water. Quickly swirl the bottles
in a big circle several times and place the
bottom bottle on a flat surface.
5. When you stop, the water should start
swirling down in a tornado-shaped funnel.
4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) vinegar
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) baking
soda
1 tall, clear glass or jar
Enough water to fill half the glass or
jar
8 or more raisins
First get permission to use
kitchen equipment and
ingredients.
1. Add the vinegar and baking soda to the water. The mixture will begin to
fizz.
2. Drop raisins one at a time into the mixture. The raisins may sink at first.
Soon they will rise to the surface, then sink, then rise again. The raisins will
continue to bounce for at least an hour.
Combining vinegar and baking soda creates bubbles of carbon dioxide, the
same gas thats in carbonated soda. Bubbles collect on the raisins and lift
them up. At the surface the bubbles escape, the raisins sink, and the process
begins again.
Clear glass filled with water
Quarter-inch (one-half-centimeter)
slice from the end of a cork
Magnet
Needle
1. Float the cork in the glass of water.
2. Magnetize the needle by rubbing it over the magnet in the same direction
about 50 times.
3. Lay the needle on cork.
4. The needle will slowly turn and point in the same direction, no mater how
many
times you point it in another direction.
Once magnetized, the needle lines up with the Earths north and south
magnetic poles just as a magnetized pointer in a compass would.
IMPORTANT: Before you begin, ask an adult for permission to
use the stove. AND remember to turn it off when you're finished.
You will need
powdered
alum, available
in the spice
section of the
supermarket
water
a small pan
a wooden
spoon
food coloring
(for amounts,
see below)
several small
jars
paper towels
"emeralds"
10 drops green
"rubies"
12 drops red
"diamonds"
no color
"topaz"
10 drops
yellow
"sapphires"
10 drops blue
"amber"
6 drops yellow
+ 2 drops red +
1 drop green
1. Measure 4
teaspoons of
water and 3
teaspoons of
alum into the
pan.
2. Add drops of
food coloring to
achieve the
desired color
(see the color
list at left for
ideas).
3. Bring the
mixture to a
complete boil,
stirring for a
few seconds
until all of the
alum is
dissolved.
4. Allow the
mixture to cool
two minutes.
Carefully pour
the alum
solution into
the jar, and let
it sit uncovered
and
undisturbed for
three days.
Soon you will
begin to see
crystals
forming at the
bottom of the
jar. Do not
move the jar.
5. After three
days, carefully
pour off the
excess water
and gently
remove the
crystals.
Spread them
evenly on a
paper towel to
dry.
Illustrations by Dave Whamond
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
Vegetable oil
A plastic container or glass jar with an interesting shape (long,
skinny olive jars and the fancy jars that hold some marmalades,
jams, or jellies work well)
Small beads, sequins, glitter, or other tiny, shiny things
Food coloring (if you want)
Clear tape (if you want)
Fill about 1/4 of the jar
with rubbing alcohol. Add
a drop of food coloring.
DANGER!
Don't forget to be
careful with glass.
Pour vegetable oil into
the jar. Leave about 1/2 an
inch of air at the top of the
jar. Let the globs of oil
Drop tiny, shiny things into the jar.
settle. Is the oil on top of
Use as many as you want. Don't use
the alcohol or underneath anything too heavy-like a marble-that
it?
might break the jar when you shake it.
When all the tiny
things are in the jar,
carefully pour in more oil
until the jar is completely
full-right up to the rim.
Screw the lid of the jar
on very tightly. (If you
want, you can tape around
the lid to make sure it
won't leak.)
Gently shake the jar.
The oil and alcohol will
mix and turn a milky
color, and the beads and
glitter will float and spin.
Let the oil settle again. That
will take about 5 or 10 minutes.
Now spin the jar instead of
shaking it. What happens?
Why doesn't the oil float on top of the alcohol?
Since oil floats on top of water, you might have thought that oil would float on
top of alcohol, too. But the oil sinks to the bottom and the alcohol floats on
top of the oil. Even though water and alcohol are both clear liquids, they have
different densities. Alcohol floats on top of oil because a drop of alcohol is
lighter than a drop of oil the same size.
Why don't oil and alcohol mix? For that matter, why don't oil and water
mix?
The answers to these questions have to do with the molecules that make up
oil, water, and alcohol. Molecules are made up of atoms, and atoms are made
up of positively charged protons, negatively charged electrons, and uncharged
neutrons.
The atoms that make up water molecules and alcohol molecules are arranged
so that there is more positive charge in one part of the molecule and more
negative charge in another part of the molecule. Molecules like this are called
polar molecules.
The charged particles in an oil molecule are distributed more or less evenly
throughout the molecule. Molecules like this are called nonpolar molecules.
Polar molecules like to stick together. That's because positive charges attract
negative charges. So the positive part of a polar molecule attracts the negative
part of another polar molecule, and the two molecules tend to stay together.
When you try to mix water and oil or alcohol and oil, the polar molecules
stick together, keeping the oil molecules from getting between them-and the
two don't mix. When you try to mix water and alcohol, they mix fine, since
both are made of polar molecules.
What's this pretty toy doing in a set of science experiments? It seems
more like an art project to me.
When you make a Glitter Globe, you're experimenting with two liquids that
won't mix with each other--alcohol and oil. Playing with the Glitter Globe
gives you a chance to watch how liquids flow. And in the process, you make
something that's pretty.
Some people think that science and art have very little in common. At the
Exploratorium, we disagree. Both artists and scientists start their work by
noticing something interesting or unusual in the world around them. Both
artists and scientists experiment with the things they have noticed. Art and
science begin in the same place-with noticing and experimenting.
How to Make Bottle Pipes
This lesson developed by Reach Out!
Recommended Age: Preschool and Early Elementary
Questions
How do you make bottle pipes?
What makes a pitch sound high or low?
What You Need
8 glass pop or soda bottles (use the same kind of bottle!)
Water
Empty and clean gallon plastic milk jug or a pitcher
Teaspoon
What You Do
1. Line up the pop bottles in a line.
2. Fill your milk jug or pitcher with water.
3. Pour a little water into the first bottle. Pour a little more water into the
second bottle. Keep going, pouring a little more water into each bottle
until the last bottle is nearly full.
4. Lean down close to the bottles. Take a deep breath and blow air across
the very top of each bottle. You should make a sound from each bottle.
Be sure you dont blow down into bottles, it wont make any sound!
5. See if you can play a scale like do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do. You may
have to adjust your water levels in the bottles to make it sound just
right.
6. Instead of blowing on the bottles, take the teaspoon and gently strike or
tap the bottles. Can you make the same sounds as you did when you
were blowing across the top of the bottles? What do you think makes
the difference in the pitches and sounds you hear?
What Is Happening
The bottles make sounds because there is air inside of them. The air
vibrates when you blow across the top of the bottles. The more air that
is inside the bottle, the more air that can vibrate and so make a lower
sounding sound or pitch. Bottles wi th more water in them have less air
in them. So, when you blow across them, there is less air inside to
vibrate and we hear a higher sounding pitch.
nail (you'll also need a hammer if you use tin cans)
two empty yogurt cups (you can also use two tin cans)
scissors
string
bar of soap
paper clips
a friend
Use the nail to poke a hole in the center
of the bottom of each yogurt cup. (If you
use tin cans, have a grown-up make a hole
with a hammer and the nail.)
With your scissors, cut a piece of string
that's about 15 feet long.
Wet the bar of soap. Rub one end of the
string on the soap, then roll the string in
your fingers so it's pointy. Poke the end of
the string through the hole into the cup.
Reach into the
cup with your fingers
and pull the string a
few inches. Tie the
end of the string to a
paper clip.
Now you've got an Ear Guitar! Hold one cup up to your ear,
and give the other cup to your friend. Tell your friend to walk
away from you until the string is tight, then hold his cup up to
his own ear. When one of you plucks the string, both of you can
hear the sound!
Is the sound you hear when you pluck the string different
from the sound when your friend plucks the string? Does the
sound change when the string is tighter or looser?
Tell-a-Cup
You can also use your Ear Guitar as a telephone! Have your
friend walk away until the string is tight. Hold your cup up to
your ear, and have your friend talk into her cup. Can you hear
what she's saying?
Do steps 3 and 4
again with the other
cup and the other end
of the string.
How does the Ear Guitar work?
When you pluck the string on an Ear Guitar, the string starts vibrating. The vibration in the
string starts the bottom of the cup vibrating, which starts the air inside the cup vibrating. The
cup helps channel those vibrating air molecules into your ear-so you hear the sound loud and
clear.
Your voice, like other sounds, is a vibration. (Put your hand on your throat as you talk and
you'll feel the vibrations.) When you talk into one of the cups, the vibrations of your voice
travel into the cup, then from the cup into the string, and then back into the other cup. The cup
channels your voice into your friend's ear.
Your yogurt-cup telephone works if the string between the two cups can vibrate freely. Pinch
the string between the two cups, and your friend won't hear your voice as well. You may also
discover that the string between the cups must be pulled tight, or your telephone won't work. If
the string is loose, the sound vibrations die out before they reach the other cup.
Red, blue and yellow are called the primary colors. Just by mixing these
colors, you can get all the colors of the rainbow:
RED + YELLOW = ORANGE
RED + BLUE = PURPLE
BLUE + YELLOW = GREEN
What you need:
red, blue and yellow food color
1 cup milk
dish soap
shallow bowl
Optional: Catch a Rainbow Printable Activity Sheet
Optional: The Color Wheel
Directions:
Pour 1 cup of milk into the bowl
Add 3 drops of red food color to one
edge of the bowl
1/3 of the way away, add 3 drops of
blue food color
1/3 of the way away add 3 drops of
yellow
don't mix or jiggle the bowl
Squeeze a drop of dish soap in the
center of the bowl
Record what you see.
What do you think happened?
What Happened:
The dish soap does not mix with the milk. Instead it floats on top and
spreads over the surface. As it spreads, it grabs the food color we
dropped into it. Where the colors meet, they combine to form new colors:
RED + YELLOW = ORANGE
RED + BLUE = PURPLE
BLUE + YELLOW = GREEN
What you need:
bowl
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp baking soda
Optional: Magic Potion Printable Activity Sheet
Directions:
Put 2 Tbsp vinegar in the bowl
Add 1 Tbsp baking soda (all at once)
Record what happens
What Happened:
The bubbles that form are carbon dioxide gas. A chemical reaction occurs
between the vinegar (an acid) and the baking soda (a base).
For all of you bakers out there, this is also what makes cakes and quick
breads (the no yeast kind) get nice and fluffy.
TRY THIS:
Pour 4 Tbsp vinegar in a container with an opening small enough to fit a
balloon around (small vinegar bottle or juice bottles work well).
Pour 2 Tbsp baking soda in a balloon that isn't blown up (make a siphon out
of cone of paper)
Without tipping the baking soda in, put the balloon over the top of the
container. Use your hand or a rubber band to hold the seal.
Jiggle the balloon so the baking soda is dumped in.
The balloon will blow itself up! (this is the carbon dioxide gas)
