Hot Science Experiments How-Tos
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: 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: Launch a Cork Rocket with an Ultraviolet LED Flashlight
Science is most marvelous when it's creating an explosion, even at the tiniest of proportions. In the video below, Daniel Rosenberg from Harvard's Natural Science Lecture Demonstration Services reveals the secret to shooting a cork rocket over twenty meters using a little chemistry and an ultraviolet LED light. Rosenberg, who's a research assistant and lecturer for the Natural Science division at Harvard, demonstrates what happens when hydrogen and chlorine are explosively "burned" together t...
Printable Tactile Astronomy: How to "See" Outer Space if You're Blind
Have you ever felt the desire to reach out and touch a galaxy? Or "feel" those stunning nebulas and planets you see in Hubble photos? As alluring as it sounds, it's safe to say the odds of your whim coming true are nonexistent. You'd have to travel about 6 earth years and spend millions of dollars building your own personal spacecraft to get close enough to actually wave your hand through one of Saturn's rings. But in an attempt to help the blind "see" what they're missing, some semblance of ...
How To: Make flowers glow in the dark with a fluorescent highlighter
Are you looking for some fun party decorations, or a neat gift idea? You can make beautiful glow in the dark flowers, using nothing more than a standard fluorescent highlighter and ultra violet light. After you watch this video, you will be able to amaze your friends by making flowers glow in the dark!
How To: Play Music With Your Mind
Tired of getting calluses from incessantly strumming along to 'No Woman No Cry'? Just hook up to the brain-music system and use your brain power to play a tune instead. I'm not talking—humming along in your head. The machine, created by composer and computer-music specialist Eduardo Miranda of the University of Plymouth, UK, is composed of electrodes taped directly onto your skull that pick up tiny electrical impulses from neurons in your brain and translates them into musical rhythms on a co...
How To: Get Rid of All that Space Junk
How about a laser? One that is strong enough to nudge debris out of earth orbit. That's what NASA contractor James Mason wants to do, and his lab simulations suggest that the idea is possible. Mason wants to use a 5kW ground-based laser and a ground-based 1.5 meter telescope to spot potentially hazardous space waste and shove it off, by about 200 meters per day of lasering. It's kind-of like air traffic control for near earth orbit.
How To: How Much Would It Cost to Discover Every Animal on Earth?
Are you prone to crusades of the overambitious? Well, here's one for you: try to find and identify every animal on earth. You may think scientists have a handle on this, having pinned down 1.4 million animal species so far, but there are millions more are out there, waiting to be found. Brazilian scientists have put the cost of finding the rest at a decisive $263 billion.
How To: Control a Movie Plot with Your Emotions
Not in the mood for a sappy ending? Well, strap in because "Emotional Response Cinema Technology" lets your own body physiology control the movie music, the special effects, and even the movie ending. A collaboration between BioControl Systems, Filmtrip, and the Sonic Arts Research Center at Queen's University Belfast, the technology was recently showcased at the SXSW film festival in Austin, TX, where the newly minted horror film Unsound interacted with the audience through wires connected t...
How To: Prevent Post-Earthquake Nuclear Meltdown in the US
After getting slammed with a crazy-big earthquake/tsunami, the Japanese nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi might be on the brink of meltdown. Not as bad as Chernobyl, but maybe as bad as Three Mile Island. Nobody wishes such a disaster on anyone...anywhere in the world. In the US, there are about 100 nuclear facilities, about 8 of which are located near hot beds of seismic activity.
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: Make simple dark green slime without borax
Most folks mistakingly think that slime - or green silly putty - simply can't be whipped up without borax. But the buffer solution can easily be replaced by another ingredient that you already have lying around in your house: laundry detergent.
How To: Make Gooey Green Slime Using Elmer's Glue and Borax
Remember the movie "Flubber," about mad professor Robin Williams and his gravity-defying invention of slime that could walk, talk, and transform into just about anything? Well, you can make a very similar type of green goo at home using stuff you already have lying around.
How To: Make a gooey slime at home using corn flour
Gross out your friends, or just have fun playing with some goo! You can make your own slime at home easily. All you need is some corn flour and water. Add food coloring if you really want to make it cool!
How To: Make slime without using borax
This video shows you how to make slime, or goo, without using borax which can be harsh on some people's skin. Rather than spending money on buying slime for your children in the toy store, simply mix water and cornstarch. You can even make it any color you want just by adding food coloring. Make slime without using borax.
How To: Use a laser to ignite a fire within a regular balloon
All you need is a burning laser, a bit of flash paper (which you can find at any magician's shop), some thread, a balloon pump, and of course, a balloon. Then set it all up to set a fire inside the balloon!
How To: Make a water drop electrostatic generator
Wanna make some lighting in your very own home? You can with this cool how-to video. Basically what you'll be creating is called a Kelvin's Thunderstorm, or, a water drop electrostatic generator. Check out the video to see what supplies you'll need to make this experiement work.
How To: Perform a cool trick with Ivory soap and a microwave
Ever wonder what happens when you put a bar of Ivory soap (the soap that floats!) in a microwave for a few minutes? This science experiment shows what happens when water molecules in a bar of Ivory get nuked! Try it!
How To: Create a color explosion with this cool science experiement
Soap is an incredible thing and this how-to shows some of its incredible qualities. You'll need a plate, some whole mile, some food coloring, some Q-tips and some dish detergent. It's an explosion of color! Some very unusual things happen when you mix a little milk, food coloring, and a drop of liquid soap. Use the experiment to amaze your friends and uncover the scientific secrets of soap.
How To: Perform an ice-cube trick with sodium chloride
Think you can lift an ice-cube with nothing but a piece of string? In this cool how-to science lesson, Steve Spangler shows us how to do it, and explains what happens when salt is put on ice. We all know that salt is used to melt ice and snow, but do you know why? Leave it Steve Spangler to turn this basic science lesson into an after-dinner trick you'll use to amaze your friends.
How To: Perform a cool water heat conduction experiment
This is a cool science experiment to show what a great heat conductor water is. You'll need some balloons, a candle and some water. Check it out and be amazed! Common sense tells you that it's impossible to boil water in a paper bag, but this classic parlor trick was a favorite of the Victorian magician. The real difficultly in performing this effect is making it look harder than it is! As you might imagine, the secret lies in yet another amazing property of water - it's ability to conduct he...
How To: Perform a superheated steam science experiment
This is a cool experiment that shows what happens when we superheat steam. Wath as we move beyond a gas to something else! Steve Spangler is the science man and he'll turn you on to something cool. We usually think of water as a substance used to put out fires... but what happens when water turns to steam and that steam gets superheated? Watch in amazement as the steam created in the experiment is used to create - not extinguish - fire!
How To: Test the myth of death by eating pop rocks and soda
Did Mikey really meet his end by eating Pop Rocks and Coke? Well, in this how-to you'll see the myth tested and be able to try it out yourself. Follow as Steve Spangler shows us why Pop Rocks pop, and how they react with soda.
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: test the acidity or alkalinity of certain liquids
Hmmm, all you've got is a piece of cabbage but you need to test the acidity or alkalinity of some liquid. What do you do? What DO you do!? Well, you start by watching this video by Steve Spangler. Ahh, the sweet smell of science! Invite your friends over to share in this super smelly but really cool activity. Plug your nose and get ready to make your own red cabbage indicator that will test the acidity or alkalinity of certain liquids.
How To: Make a tea bag rocket and blast off
3,2,1... blast off! Here's a fun little experiment you can do with a tea bag and some matches. You can try it at home and see how far up you can make your tea bag rocket go. The Tea Bag Rocket is really an adaptation of a classic science demonstration called the Ditto Paper Rocket. Each piece of Ditto paper had a sheet of tissue paper that separated the two-part form, and it was this discarded piece of paper that kids used to make the "rocket." Since Ditto paper is a thing of the past, scienc...
How To: Walk on cornstarch with this non-Newtonian fluid trick
Walk on water? Impossible. Walk on cornstarch? You bet! Check out this video to see what happens when you mix up a tub of cornstarch and water. It's goopy cool fun. Mix cornstarch and water in this classic experiment to form a gooey liquid and solid material that behaves like quicksand. Some people refer to this as the Oobleck recipe, others call it a Non-Newtonian fluid. After watching these video segments, you'll call it a great science lesson as your students learn about the amazing proper...
How To: Perform the floating rice trick
This is a cool trick that creates the illusion that one object appears heavier than the other. Check out the video, and watch Steve Spangler perform this trick and teach you how to do it! This trick, dating back thousands of years, uses two identical bottles of rice and chopsticks. One bottle appears to be lighter than the other and floats up.
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: Understand Newton's laws of motion and centripetal force
With this cool little how-to, learn about Newton's laws of motion and try first hand to see centripetal force in action. You'll need balloons and a coin and a lug nut.
How To: Create a cloud in a bottle
Cool! A cloud in a bottle! You can make one yourself by watching this little how-to. You'll need a bottle, a bike pump and a little attachment from the hardware store.
How To: Build a tornado or whirlpool tube
Wish you could put a whirlpool in a bottle? How about a tornado? Well, this cool video shows you how to do both. Add food coloring or dish soap to highlight the water or the air. It's a cool project!
How To: Make a carbon dioxide sandwich bomb
No one ever gets tired of making little explosions by adding vinegar and baking soda. In this video, you'll make a sandwich bomb in a sandwich bag and watch as the contents bubble, brew and explode. Mmmm lunch is ready!
How To: Make a Stack of Different Colored Liquids
Here's a simple home science experiment to demonstrate to kids the different weight and viscosity of various liquids. The liquids near the bottom are more dense while the liquids on top are less dense. This can also be used to determine the relative density of solid objects. Place them in the container and see where they float.
How To: Make a Film Canister Rocket
This is a fun little how-to showing what happens when you put some baking soda and vinegar in a film canistar. Shake it up and see it blast off. Keep back though, or you'll stink like your homemade rocket fuel.
How To: Learn the difference between reflection and refraction
In this video you'll visit one of the largest solar power farms in the world to learn the difference between reflection and refraction. Unlike most solar farms, this farm uses giant mirrors instead of photo electric cells. Check it out.
How To: Make a Double Heart-Shaped Homopolar Motor: The Valentine's Day Gift of Science!
Homopolar motors tend to be typecast as simplistic in nature, and that's true for the most part. The bare minimum requirements are a battery, conductor, and magnetic field, but when it comes to Valentine's Day, they're nothing short of complex.
How To: Wrap your head around the concept of Entropy
Entropy can be a tricky concept to wrap your head around, but this clear and detailed video helps make it easy. By using a variety of props as examples, you too can master the idea of entropy to amaze and impress your friends!
How To: Salicylate determination with visual colorimetry
If you're interested in forensic toxicology and are trying to determine the presence of salicylate by using a visual colorimetry, then look no further. This indepth and compelling video takes you into world of salicylate determination.
Quantum Mechanics: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle Explained
Physics can be a real mind bender, but this educational video will show you how to wrap your head around Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. And no, that's not the same Heisenberg that's in Breaking Bad. We're talking about the famous German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg, someone whose work you'd be more likely to see in Fringe.