Active Science Experiments Posts
News: This DIY Passion Fruit Battery Can Power Lasers!
It's been proven over and over that you can make batteries out of fruits and vegetables such as lemons, potatoes, and even apples. Turns out, passion fruit is also acidic enough to power a battery, but Maui Makers member Ryan K decided to take it a step further by adding a laser. Passion fruit, or Lilikoi as it's called in Hawaii, is usually over-abundant in Maui, so Ryan decided to put it to good use. Using anodized bolts, copper pipe, wire, switches, and some LEDs, he built a battery that c...
How To: Practice balancing chemical equations
In this video, we learn how to practice balancing chemical equations. First, take a look at the first and second part of the equation. Write out how many atoms each of the elements has in it. Compare each of the sides to see what the difference is between them. Then, find the multiple of each of the elements until they are equal to each other. After you find this, continue to do this for all of the different elements in the equation. This will give you a balanced chemical equation when you ar...
How To: Launch a Camera into Space (On a Shoestring Budget)
Earlier this month, Adam Cudworth, 19, launched a camera attached to a weather balloon into the edge of space. Battling tough winds, freezing temperatures, atmospheric pressure and tumbling speeds, the teenager from Worcestershire, England was able to capture these amazing pictures of the Earth's upper stratosphere. How to Send a Camera into Space
How To: Turn Just Half of a Purple Liquid Clear with the Photochemical "Two-Faced" Reaction
We've shown you how to make water change color on command, but how about just half of it? What if I told you that you can split a solution right down the middle and make the color disappear from one side, just by shining light on it?
How To: Create an Explosion with Liquid Nitrogen and a Bottle
Try out this science experiment... demonstrate pressure and volume. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to create an explosion with liquid nitrogen and a plastic bottle. See the demonstration of the exploding reaction of the pressure build up in the bottle.
How To: Show the Leidenfrost Effect (Hand vs. Liquid Nitrogen)
What would happen if you stick your hand in a pool of liquid nitrogen? Would your hand freeze to death? Would it harden to an unnatural state? Would it shatter as soon as you touched something? Well, real life isn't like the movies (i.e. Demolition Man), so believe it or not, your hand would be safe, thanks to a little known phenomenon called the Leidenfrost effect.
How To: Suck a Hard-Boiled Egg into a Bottle with a Burning Match
Can you suck an egg into a bottle? Let's find out. For this quick science experiment, you will need an egg, a bottle, and matches. Simply drop a match in the bottle and place the hard-boiled egg on top and watch it get sucked in.
How To: Make an edible plant cell model for biology class
Science fairs are some of the most creative moments during the elementary school period. Not only are you able to research a topic of interest, but you also have try to find various ways in which to showyour scientific results. In this case, you'll find out how to make an edible plant cell model for an easy science fair project of for biology class. It's easy to do and will surely attract the attention of your teacher and others. Enjoy!
How To: Repel pepper with your finger in a science experiment
This experiment is very easy and inexpensive. It can be done at home. You will need a bowl, some water, some pepper, and some soap. You can use your finger to repel pepper, to the sides of the bowl. Simple, but fun.
How To: Make Trippy Triboluminescent Crystals That Glow Red or Blue When You Smash Them
If you're a Breaking Bad junkie who can't wait for the next episode, satisfy your craving with a little at-home chemistry and make some blue DIY smash-glow crystals! No, this is not Walter White's so-called "Big Sky" or even the subpar cringe-worthy product of his competitors. It's not even the same kind of crystals, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. This is totally legal, even kid-friendly if you play it safe, though it actually requires more safety precautions than the potassium nitra...
How To: Remove Iron from Cereal
There's a lot of iron in your cereal, so much that it's possible to isolate and remove it using a little known trick. In the video below, Mr. G of Do Try This at Home will show you his secret to removing the iron content of your daily cereal, using a magnet to show exactly how much of the mineral is in a bowl of bran flakes. It's a little bit awkward, so brace yourself!
How To: Make Smash-Glow Crystals (Triboluminescent Crystals)
Smash glow? What the heck is that? That's exactly what you'll find out… watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make smash-glow crystals (triboluminescent crystals) with Dr. Lithium.
How To: Discover the Hidden Colors in Everyday Objects with This DIY Video Spectrometer
A spectrometer is a device that splits light into all of the different colors it's composed of that can't be seen with the naked eye. It does this by using a prism to refract or bend the light. Jeffrey Warren over at Public Labs created a tutorial showing how you can make your own video spectrometer and create spectra like the one pictured below. Any guesses as to what the subject is? Believe it or not, that's what whipped cream looks like when viewed through a spectrometer. You can do this w...
How To: Make a Soda Can Stirling Engine
Ever wonder how to make an engine out of soda cans? Not even sure if it's possible? These videos will show you how to build a working Stirling engine out of cans and other general materials. Here it is in action:
How To: Improve Water Head
An experiment was carried out at our laborataries to investigate the flow through two pipes of same diameter fitted at the same height from water level inside of a water tank as shown. It is found the longer pipe line inside the water tank generates a higher speed resulting more powerfull flow. Flow in this pressure pipe develops due to gravitational accelaration on a horizontally flowing water column also, when it is an enclosed stream of flow. If this length is short it is not possible to d...
How To: Transfer sound over a laser light
Check out this low cost project. This video will show you how to transfer sound over light! Yes, this is possible. You'll transfer a sound with a distance of 5 meters, but you may experiment on greater distances if you'd like. You'll need a laser (or an LED) for this audio project, one Opto transistor (or resistor), one 3-volt battery, two mono audio jacks, and some alligator clips. Just watch this cool electronic audio experiment and try it out yourself.
How To: Find chemicals for science experiments
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to find chemicals for science experiments with Dr. Lithium.
HowTo: DIY Glow Sticks
WonderHowTo favorite (and pal) NurdRage brings us another great science tutorial. Making glow sticks at home is not necessarily cheaper, but it's a great science project. Check out the video below to learn not only how to make the glow sticks, but also all about fluorescent dyes (and why Mountain Dew will not do the same thing). Previously, NurdRage Shatters Mysteriously Procured Human Heart.
How To: Make a Sugar Snake with Sulfuric Acid and Sugar
Sugar (a carbohydrate) is dehydrated with concentrated sulfuric acid. Since a carbohydrate was once considered just hydrated carbon, if you remove the water, carbon would be left over. The acid rips the water out of the sugar and the heat generated by this reaction causes the water to turn to steam. A black mass of carbon is produced.
How To: Make a Sugar Snake from Sulfuric Acid and Sugar
Sugar (a carbohydrate) is dehydrated with concentrated sulfuric acid. Since a carbohydrate was once considered just hydrated carbon, if you remove the water, carbon would be left over. The acid rips the water out of the sugar and the heat generated by this reaction causes the water to turn to steam. A black mass of carbon is produced.
How To: Dissect a chicken wing
You've gotten enough satisfaction from gorging on fried chicken wings, so now it's time to learn the science of them. And not—we're not talking why they taste so freaking good, but how they work, pre-fried food. We're talking anatomy class, and if you can eat a piece of chicken, then you surely can dissect a chicken leg for educational reasons. Watch this video to learn about the chicken's triceps and bicep muscles, as well as what happens when the biceps and triceps contract.
How To: Make a glow stick reaction with real chemicals
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make a glow stick reaction with real chemicals.
How To: Combine cations, anions, and energy to make ionic compounds
Studying chemistry is a complex but potentially lucrative activity. If you're studying ionic compounds and need some help understanding how they work, look no further. THis video will explain how the two types of ions: anions and cations, and energy combine to create an ionic compound.
News: Building a Bonafide Solar Death Ray Sounds Too Easy
Eric Jacqmain is one smart cookie. Borrowing from the same principles of Archimedes’ mythological death ray, the Indiana teenager used an ordinary fiberglass satellite dish and about 5,800 3/8" mirror tiles to create a solar weapon with the intensity of 5000x normal daylight. The powerful weapon can "melt steel, vaporize aluminum, boil concrete, turn dirt into lava, and obliterate any organic material in an instant."
How To: Break hearts with liquid nitrogen
You'll be breaking hearts this Valentine's Day, literally, you'll be "breaking hearts"… if you try this science experiment. A live heart. That disgusting thing you swear your love by. How do nerds break hearts? With liquid nitrogen!
How To: Make a bouncy ball and glow in the dark goo
Here's a cool video! By combining two readily accessible liquids, you can make yourself a cool bouncey ball. This how-teaches kids about polymers, chemicals. You'll also learn in this video how to make glow in the dark goo. Just what the world needs!
How To: Make a Leyden jar to store static electricity
Do you even know what a Leyden jar is? Well... it's an early form of capacitor made from a glass jar with layers of metal foil on the outside and inside. This video tutorial will show you how to make a Leyden jar to store static electricity. This Leyden jar will give you a powerful shock!
News: Build Your Own Oscillating Wave Machine
Transverse wave motion is the beautiful rippling effect that occurs when a moving wave causes oscillations that travel perpendicular to the direction of energy transferred. (For example, via Wikipedia: "If a transverse wave is moving in the positive x-direction, its oscillations are in up and down directions that lie in the y–z plane.")
How To: Perform vacuum distillation in the chemistry lab
Vacuum Distillation is a distillation carried out at reduced The Interactive Lab Primer (ILP) has been developed as part of the Royal Society of Chemistry Teacher Fellowship Scheme, one of the themes of the Chemistry for Our Future program, and initiative which aims to secure a strong and sustainable future for the chemical sciences in higher education. The aim of the ILP is to address the diverse range of experience and skills students bring with them to a university by offering a resource t...
How To: Understand how metals react in hydrochloric acid
In this video tutorial the instructor talks about Hydrochloric acid (HCL) and how it reacts to a few metals. To try this out take 30 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid in a beaker. You need to employ caution while handling acids, especially if you use strong ones. Now you can throw small pieces of different metals into it carefully to see how it reacts with different metals. For instance when this HCL comes in contact with metals various reaction take place depending up on the metal. Like i...
How To: Blend things with a Tesla CD turbine
The Tesla CD Turbine Blender Attachment is a SinkScience test of the new Kitchen Edition of the CD Turbine mated to a recycled blender from the Thrift Store. The CD Turbine, made with recycled CD's and neodymium magnets, is running only on faucet water-pressure power.
How To: Dissect a cat to see the anatomy
This video tutorial is on the dissection of cat, focusing on the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems. You'll see the duodenum, the colons, and even the rectum of these cute little kitties. This anatomical look inside of a cat is a great look at the science of the body.
How To: Make fun green slime with borax and Elmer's Glue
The only thing slimier than Charlie Sheen's latest sex scandal is this super sticky and icky green slime, made with borax and some Elmer's Glue. Gain the sticky molasses of experience by checking out this science tutorial on how to whip up a batch of green goo.
How To: Do electrical circuit experiments
Electricity can be conducted through a variety of unexpected mediums, including Jell-O, lemons and potatoes. Learn more about electric circuit experiments in this free science experiment video from a professional audio engineer and instrument builder.
How To: Make a liquid nitrogen explosion
In this how-to, Steve Spangler shows us the power of liquid nitrogen, and how you can use it to make quite a powerful explosion. Now this isn't something you'll likely try yourself, but you'll learn something, and hey, that's pretty cool.
How To: Make verdigris with copper and vinegar
In this tutorial, we learn how to make verdigris with copper and vinegar. Verdigris is a compound of copper that is blue and powder. You will need: copper metal, vinegar, a big jug, and a small beaker. Now, place the small beaker inside of the jar, then fill the bottom with vinegar. Next, put the piece of copper metal inside of the jar making sure it sits inside the small beaker. Seal this and put it in a safe and dry place. Leave it for a good month, then when you come back you will have a n...
News: Make an anti-gravity static powered floating orb
Think atomic theory is only for nerds? Think again. Make magical electrons dance right before your very eyes. This anti-gravity orb will move at your command.
News: Danes One Step Closer to DIY Suborbital Spaceflight
They've been at it for a few years now, but the crazy group of amateur rocket scientists who call themselves Copenhagen Suborbitals have triumphed over adversity, successfully launching their DIY rocket nearly 2 miles into the sky last Friday. The privately funded, non-profit aims to one day send human beings into suborbital space on the cheap, without the need of government budgets and administration.
How to Test diamagnetism: Antimagnetic water/hanging graphite
If you had to answer the following statement, which answer would you choose? Water is:
News: Bored? Get High Now (Using Your Computer)
For some of you out there, today may be a looooong Friday. But have no fear, if you've yet to furtively accomplish shaving off a few extra minutes from the office clock, there is an alternative for getting through the day: computer pharmaceuticals. Relax, moms, we're not talking illicit drugs. Computer pharmaceuticals (AKA: optical and audio illusions) are completely natural, harmless highs that promise to alter your perception and consciousness- without the risk of drugs or alcohol.