Science Experiments

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 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: Dissect a chicken for an anatomical look

Failed out of veterinarian school? No problem, just watch this video tutorial on dissecting a chicken (avian) to get you back on your feet. This demonstration and lecture of is by an eminent anatomist that will show you how to do it correctly.

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: 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: 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.

How To: Make a chemical indicator from kitchen items

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a chemical indicator from kitchen items. First, make an indicator by grabbing some red cabbage and some vodka. Now, heat up some water until it's boiling, then place a smaller beaker inside the water with vodka inside of it. Place the red cabbage inside of the smaller beaker, then stir it up and let sit for 10 minutes. A lot of the color will come out with the cabbage being inside of the alcohol. After this, pour this into a storage bottle and pour the w...

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?

How To: Use Sephadex gel filtration for chromatography

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta brings you this video tutorial specifically relevant to your student laboratory courses, specifically microbiology. If you're a student at any school of biology, this information will be helpful for learning how to use Sephadex gel filtration for chromatography in the lab.

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 nitric acid

Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make nitric acid. They show three ways to make nitric acid based on two different chemical approaches, both of which can be done using easily accessible materials.

How To: Revive a drowned fly

Ever wished you were Jesus? This how-to video can bestow you with life-reviving powers. It's not a trick. See how you can revive a seemingly drowned fly with salt by watching this educational and instructional video. Let the resurrection begin.

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: 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: 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.

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: 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 potassium nitrate at home

Believe it or not, there are cheap ways to make potassium nitrate for your chemistry experiments. And the key ingredient… "sodium-free" salt.

How To: Use a Peltier module to create free electricity from heat

A Peltier module allows you to turn heat into electricity. Because you can place it in areas that are normally warm anyway, the electricity created is "free" in a sense, though it does work best when one side of the module is cold and the other is hot. In other words, all you'll need for this project is the Peltier module and a cooler surface such as soil or water, and a warm area such as a well lit window or warm pan.

How To: Make Vitriol (Sulfuric Acid) Using the Oxidizing & Electrochemical Methods

If you've been following the news lately, you've probably heard of the word "vitriol" being used as a political weapon, with people like celebrity left-winger Jane Fonda blaming conservatives like Sarah Palin for "vitriolic" attacks on Democrats and the "violence-provoking rhetoric of the Tea Party" movement for the recent Arizona shooting.

How To: Make Potassium Chlorate from Ordinary Household Bleach and Salt Substitute

If you're not just a chemistry nerd, but also a firearms freak and explosives nut, then this home brew chemistry concoction is just what you need for some cheap homemade potassium chlorate. It's a mixture of potassium, chlorine and oxygen (KClO3) and is used for such things as gun primers, propellents, and explosives (when mixed with the appropriate fuel). And guess what? NurdRage is going to show you the steps for this makeshift potassium chlorate.

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: Sugar & Sulfuric Acid — A Cool Chemical Reaction

Sulfuric acid is mixed with sugar, which is attacked by the acid. The final products are carbon, water vapor, and sulfur dioxide gas.

How To: Create napalm

This video illustrates how to make napalm. You will need a petri dish, gasoline, and styrofoam to create napalm. Combining the styrofoam and gasoline in a petri dish you allow the styrofoam to dissolve and become a semi-solid substance. It will have the consistency of chewing gum and it will be highly flammable. This substance will be sticky and if lit it should be lit outside and at a distance from anyone as it will produce a gas that is toxic.

Make Slime Without Borax: 5 Easy Recipes for Gooey Homemade Ooze

One of the only things I remember from watching Nickelodeon as a kid is the epic green slime. Looking back, I don't know what was so great about it, but every kid my age thought that being drenched in slime would be the coolest thing on earth.

News: Dissecting a Human Head Through Anatomical Illustrations

Human anatomy is something every physician must undergo as a medical student. Some move on to become great doctors, some move on to become great artists, helping to better educate students and improve upon many illustrated representations of the human body since the days of medieval medicine. But thankfully, you don't have to be in the medical profession to enjoy the beautiful art of the human body created for teaching purposes.

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 it has an extra oxygen atom. This makes it more dangerous and only adults should handle the hydrogen peroxide.

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: Determine the density of salt water

Everyone floats in the Dead Sea because the amount of salt in water effects the density. Do a hands-on experiment and practice checking density. Here’s a good science experiment to do in class or at home, if you have access to an electronic balance.

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 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 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: Create an explosive soda bottle rocket

Recyling your used plastic bottles and bags by taking them to the recyling center is a great way to save the environment, but you can turn recycling into a fun project by reusing your soda bottle as a rocket.

How To: Make a ferro fluid

In this video, we learn how to make Ferro fluid. This is a magnetic fluid that you can easily make at home. To do this, you will need: laser jet toner, rare earth magnet, and some vegetable oil. Now, pour the toner into a cup (50 ml), then put 2 tbs of vegetable oil into this cup as well and stir it together until you have a thin consistency. Now, transfer into a smaller jar so you can handle it easier. Now test this fluid by taking the earth magnet and putting it to the bottom of the jar. No...

How To: Focus your laser to make it burn

In this video, we learn how to focus your laser to make it burn. The best spot for a laser to burn things is at its focal point. This is where the beam from the laser is at its smallest. If you hold a match in front of the beam, it will light it on fire as soon as it's in front of it. If you put two lasers next to each other going the same direction, it won't be able to burn because the light beam is too large. If you position the lasers so the light is smaller, then they can catch something ...

How to Be Your Own SpaceX: Design, Build & Test Liquid-Fueled Rocket Engines

Move over NASA— SpaceX is taking over. Well, not really. But today, the privately funded spacecraft company broke all expectations when their Dragon capsule fell to a soft landing in the Pacific Ocean, completing an undoubtedly successful demo flight of nearly two full trips around Earth. It was the first re-entry of a commercial spacecraft ever, bringing commercial space transportation closer to reality.

How To: Weather Forecast And Weather Predict Without Technology

We have no control on the weather yet it is a part of our lives which influence what we do, what we eat, what we wear and many times where we live. How did people predict the weather before there was the Internet, television, radio or the weatherperson with all of their gadgets?

How To: Turn water into ice without a freezer

Here's a fun experiment you can do that will demonstrate the effects that pressure has on the freezing point of a liquid. You will amaze your friends as you do what seems to be impossible, turning water into ice without sticking it in the freezer.

How To: Use baby powder to reveal latent fingerprints

This short video shows us how to reveal latent fingerprints on a glass surface by dusting. Anyone interested in forensic science would enjoy trying it as it shows simple steps in dusting and lifting fingerprints. It does not require any chemicals and we can do it with baby powder. The steps involved are so simple and easy to follow that even kids can try it out for fun. This gives a clear idea about fingerprints on different objects like porous, non porous and metals. Enjoy viewing and detect...