How To: Make This Amazing 9-Layer Density Tower from Things Found in Your Kitchen
Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed that "the seed of science" was "wonder," and taking a look at this nine-layer liquid tower from Steve Spangler's Sick Science! channel, one can't help but do just that — wonder. How is this possible? Is this magic or what?
How To: Extract DNA from a Strawberry with Basic Kitchen Items
We all know that DNA is pretty amazing, but it's not something that most of us get much hands-on experience with. Even though it's in every living thing around us, we never see it, so we rarely think about it either.
How To: Make your own nylon
In this tutorial, we learn how to make your own nylon. You will need: pipettes, pipette filler, forceps, beaker, stir rod, sebacoyl chloride and hexanediame solution. Now, pour some of the hexanediame solution into the small beaker. Add in a food coloring if you want to make this a specific color. After this, add in 4 cc's of sebacoyl chloride and carefully drip into the side of the beaker. You should see a layer of where the two liquids are after this. Now, take your tweezers and reach into ...
How To: Make chlorine gas with pool chlorine and hydrochloric acid
Chlorine gas is a very useful oxidant, which was first introduced as a toxic weapon by the German Army. Even today, it's still used as a weapon, most recently in the Iraq War by insurgents. But chlorine gas has more useful (and less lethal) applications, and if you want to learn how to make some at home, NurdRage has the answers.
How To: The Best Investigatory Projects in Science: 16 Fun & Easy Ideas to Kickstart Your Project
Most of us have conducted an investigatory science project without even knowing it, or at least without knowing that's what it was called. Most science experiments performed, from elementary to high school students and all the way up to professional scientists, are investigatory projects.
How To: Make Soap Out of Guava Leaf Extract for a Science Investigatory Project
Unless you're a high-schooler building a nuclear fusion reactor, the hardest part of a science investigatory project often is coming up with a good idea. You want it to be cool yet feasible, novel but still useful.
How To: Make a Paper Plate Speaker That Actually Works for Under $1
Back in 2007, YouTube user HouseholdHacker posted a parody video on how to make a high-def speaker for under a buck. MythBusters took on the challenge and busted it.
News: What Happens When You Mix Coca Cola and Milk
Interesting reaction coke and milk The reaction of phosphoric acid (V) to proteins in the milk - they are cut and causes a precipitate
How To: Make a Crazy Foam Explosion Science Experiment
Check out this video to see our Fantastic Foamy Fountain in action. The experiment uses Hydrogen peroxide and dry yeast. Hydrogen peroxide is similar to water but has an extra oxygen atom. This makes it more dangerous, and only adults should handle the hydrogen peroxide.
How To: Make a Monster Dry Ice Bubble
Sure it's been done before, but it never gets old. There's something magical about dry ice, bubbles, and especially the result you see when they're combined!
How To: Turn Milk into Strong Natural Glue with Baking Soda and Vinegar
You can do all kinds of unexpected things with milk, like make your own pore strips and invisible ink, or even get rid of red wine stains with it. But did you know that you can also use it to make your own glue?
News: Vortex Cannon Demolishes House
Jem Stansfield from BBC's Bang Goes the Theory has "put scientific theory to the test" with his Vortex Cannon. Filmed at 1300-fps, you can see the cannon knock down three different houses made of straw, stick, and brick with an explosive vortex ring.
How To: Make hydrochloric acid from salt
In this tutorial, we learn how to make hydrochloric acid from salt. First, you will pour some salt into a distil flask. After this, you will add in some concentrated sulfuric acid to the salt. Next, you will let these react with each other. You will start to see gasses bubble up and the excess hydrogen chloride gas come out through the top of the tube. To create a stronger reaction, you can add heat underneath the reaction. Then, test this by exposing it to ammonium chloride. If it's the righ...
How To: Build a Simple Paper Bridge as a Science Experiment
Every day we pass bridges, whether it's a foot bridge, a highway overpass, a span over water, or a viaduct over a valley. We pass on these structures without even thinking of the engineering genius that went into their design and construction, let alone the science behind their strength.
How To: Determine volume measurement
In this how to video you will learn how to measure the volume of solids and liquids. The formula for determining volume is width x length x height.
How To: How Do You Balance 14 Nails on a Single Nailhead? Find Out with This DIY Gravity Puzzle
This little brain game is all about engineering a lower center of gravity. The idea has been around forever, but most people still don't know how to do it. Trying to stack nails above the balance point will raise the CG and make the structure unstable. Here's how you can lower the CG to make a very stable structure and impress your friends.
How To: Make a permanent, reusable glow stick
Make a reusable glow stick, glow-in-the-dark-style! Imagine, you'll never have to buy one of those ChemLite's again, because you can reuse this homemade glow stick over and over again. This video tutorial will show you how to make a permanent, reusable glow stick. The materials in this experiment are simple: epoxy resin, straw, and some phosphor powder.
How To: Make Your Own Homemade Glow Sticks
Glow sticks, a popular favor at parties and outdoor events, and a must-have on Halloween, can be traced back to the United States Navy in the mid-1960s. The military desired improved visibility during night operations, and glow sticks, with their small-size portability and lack of batteries, were a perfect tactical solution.
How To: Extract DNA from a banana
Check out this instructional science video that demonstrates how to extract DNA from a banana. This is a great science experiment for students and kids to perform by following the simple step by step instructions outlined in this science tutorial video. Extract real DNA from a banana and analyze it under a microscope.
How To: Calculate electrical power
This video introduces the formulae for watts in an electric circuit, P=IxE, P=I^R, and P=E^/R. It also explains how P=I^R and P=E^/R are algebraically derived from P=IxE and Ohm's Law.
Classic Chemistry: Colorize Colorless Liquids with "Black" Magic, AKA the Iodine Clock Reaction
Want to make boring old colorless water brighten up on command? Well, you can control the color of water with this little magic trick. Actually, it's not really magic, but a classic science experiment known commonly as the iodine clock reaction, which uses the reactions between water and chemicals to instantly colorize water, seemingly by command. You can use different colorless chemicals to produce different colors, and you can even make the color vanish to make the water clear again.
How To: Determine the empirical and molecular formulas for a compound in chemistry
In this free video science lesson from Internet pedagogical superstar Salman Khan, you'll learn how to determine the empircal and molecular formulas of a substance given percent composition. Whether you need help studying for that next big test or could just use a hand finishing your homework, you're sure to be well served by this video lesson. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Make fire 4 ways without matches by using chemistry
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make fire 4 ways without matches by using chemistry, without matches or lighters.
How To: Make solid rocket fuel ignition with zinc and sulfur
Once used as solid rocket fuel because the reaction requires no oxygen, sulfur and zinc react vigorously. The reaction with zinc produces flame and a near explosion. Sparks fly and smoke billows in this dramatic chemical demonstration.
How To: Measure the volume of a balloon
Here we will demonstrate how to measure the volume of a balloon. A balloon is not a straight edged polygon shape, usually, so the mathematical equations get that much harder, on the flip side, it may be a spherical or ovalish shape, but measurements with math alone are detrimental due to the uneven sizes of the balloon. Here is how to do it properly. You will need a bucket, preferably, to hold water, a larger container than your original bucket, and a measuring container. Place the bucket ins...
How To: Make an alcohol lamp
In this science tutorial video, learn how to make a simple lamp from household materials. This lamp is great for power outages and other stuff like camping. All you need is some type of alcohol (isopropyl, ethonal, or even vegetable oil), a pair of scissors, a jar with a lid, and a cotton ball. Make your own alcohol lamp with this instructional video.
How To: Make Glowing Oobleck from Potatoes & Tonic Water
This magical, glowing mixture is very strange, with an equally strange name (Oobleck), because it feels like moldable pizza dough in your hands one second, and like liquified goo the next.
How To: Make Black Snake Fireworks With & Without Fire
In this video, I'll be showing you how classic black snakes work and how to make them at home. There are actually two methods covered in the video — one that uses fire and one that does not. So just choose the one that fits best for your situation.
How To: Make lightning with a spoon and a balloon
In this video, we learn how to make lightning with a spoon and a balloon. First, you will need to gather a spoon and a balloon. Once you have these, blow up the balloon then tie it on the end so it's sealed. After this, rub the balloon on your hair and then slowly move the spoon towards the balloon. Turn the lights out and watch what happens. You will see sparks of electricity start to appear between the balloon and the spoon! This is great to do with children or as a quick experiment to show...
How To: Make a plastic bottle fly into the air
Greg Swanson and Joe Kelley demonstrate their superb skills at creating bottle rockets on rooftops.
How To: Lift fingerprints from a bottle of water with super glue
Does someone keep drinking part of water bottle and leaving them around your house or office, taunting you with their wastefulness? Thanks to forensic technology, it is possible to catch the culprit with easy household materials. This video will show you how to use super glue to lift fingerprints off of a water bottle where normal fingerprint-lifting technology would not be sufficient. Plus, you get to use a heat gun! Always fun.
How To: Perform 10 awesome science magic party tricks
The best part of science class for many was the awesome demonstrations and experiments teachers use to demonstrate scientific principles. This video will teach you how to capture some of that magic by performing ten awesome science party / magic tricks, like relighting a match with smoke and rolling a can around on it's rim.
How To: Make ammonium chloride from hydrochloric acid and ammonia
This free video science lesson from the Home Scientist demonstrates a simple technique for creating ammonium chloride from hydrochloric acid and ammonia. For all of the relevant details and detailed, step-by-step instructions, as well as to get started trying this experiment yourself, watch this home-science how-to.
How To: Synthesize copper(II) carbonate & sodium bicarbonate
This actions is a video tutorial in the Education category where you are going to learn how to synthesize copper(II) carbonate & sodium bicarbonate. For this you will need copper sulphate which is available in root kill and sodium bicarb which is baking soda. Take 100g of copper sulphate and dissolve in about 400ml of water. Now take 69.27g of baking soda. Add baking soda very slowly and keep stirring the solution. You got to be very careful as the chemical reaction will produce lot of carbon...
How To: Understand chemistry & chemical equilibrium
A video which shows a reaction in which cobalt chloride reacts with water to form a hydrated form of cobalt and chloride ions.
News: Jane Goodall Was a Babe (and One of History's Greatest Conservationists)
National Geographic recently published a retrospective of the lovely Jane Goodall, one of the world's most accomplished conservationists. The feature includes every image of Goodall to ever appear in the magazine for the past fifty years.
How To: Do a science trick demonstrating surface tension with pepper, soap, and water
Surface tension is one of the coolest things about water. Without it, there would be no waterskiing, and that would be a sad world. This video will show you how to do a cool science magic trick with pepper, soap, and water that demonstrates surface tension. All you do is scatter the pepper on the surface of the water, then dab your finger with dishsoap and touch it to the water. You finger will appear to repel the pepper as the soap disturbs the surface tension of the water. Cool little trick...
News: Hand Fully Submerged in Liquid Nitrogen (OUCH... Right?)
Apparently submerging a hand in liquid nitrogen isn't as painful as one might suspect (if you trust the Leidenfrost effect as much as Theodore of Gray Matter):
How To: Make elephant toothpaste with detergent, hydrogen peroxide & potassium iodide
We all know what elephant toothpaste is, but what's the best way to make this massive growing foam? Dr. Lithium from NurdRage has answers. He'll show you the best way to reproduce this chemical reaction to get the best foaming action! This is a classic science class demonstration.
How To: Make fake blood from iron, chloride, and potassium
In order to make fake blood, for special effects or for Halloween, you will need the following: Potassium Thiocyanate (KSCN), Iron (III) Chloride (FeCL3), which is also known as ferric chloride or may substitute Iron Nitrate (Ferric Nitrate). You will also need water or dihydrogen monoxide.