Hot Science Experiments Posts

How To: Stiffen water with flour and salt

See what happens when you mix a few cooking ingredients into water! This video tutorial will show you the trick to stiffen water with flour and salt. It's a pretty simple trick, and you don't need to be a science genius to do it. Just mix a little salt and flour together, then dump into the pre-boiled water and watch as it hardens completely stiff.

How To: Perform ballistics comparisons

In this scientific video tutorial, undergraduate students in a forensic chemistry lab demonstrate how to use a comparison microscope for bullet and bullet casing comparisons, and color developments tests for impression marking enhancement (such as for filed-off serial numbers). Learn how to perform ballistics comparisons! Just like in CSI.

How To: Build a vertical axis wind turbine

The economy is down, so what's one way you can save money? Build a vertical axis wind turbine! This eco-friendly four-part video tutorial will show you just how to make one so you can save money. These are detailed steps for making the vertical axis wind turbine. The blades can be easily interchanged offering different shapes and materials to experiment with. This design can create turbines up to 90 inches in diameter and up to 15 feet tall.

How To: Find dinosaur fossils

Where do you go? How do you know how to look for fossils? How about dinosaur fossils? That's a very good question, and the Museum of the Rockies has the answer, along with Mark B. Goodwin, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley.

How To: Make a storm inside a test tube

This science experiment will show you how to make a storm inside a test tube. This video tutorial will demonstrate the process of making the miniature thunderstorm inside a test tube with just a few common chemicals. All you need for your very own thunder storm is a glass test tube with holder, sulfuric acid, ethyl alcohol (ethanol), potassium permanganate, glass dropper, measuring spoon, and please wear safety goggles. Sparks and pops occur completely random, just like in a real thunderstorm!

How To: Make money burn green

This science experiment will show you how to make money burn green. This video tutorial will demonstrate the process of making the buck flame green, without damaging the bill. All you need to get that green flame from your green dollar bill is some Heet (methanol), a glass beaker, boric acid, and a measuring spoon. The combination of these chemicals emits a green flame. This is a new twist on the famous "non-burning dollar bill" trick.

How To: Turn a penny into gold with common chemicals

This science experiment will show you how to turn a penny into gold with common chemicals. This video tutorial will demonstrate turning the copper penny into a silver penny and into a gold cent. All you need to make gold pennies is sodium hydroxide (also known as lye), zinc powder, a small glass beaker with some distilled water in it, a clean copper penny, a couple of measuring spoons, and a glass stirring rod.

How To: Make a simple rocket with film canisters

Try out this science experiment... watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a simple rocket with film canisters. This is purely educational, and demonstrates the reaction of an Alka-Seltzer tablet, toilet paper, and water. If you don't have Alka-Seltzer, you can substitute it with baking soda, then substitute the water with vinegar.