It’s time for a break. Instead of resting, however, you get to assemble a simple circuit. This working circuit will be used in several of the following experiments. Right now, you need to find the components, making sure they match up, and assemble the circuit correctly.Things Required:Buzzer or bicycle horn (1.5-volt or 3-volt device)One or […]
Place your palm about 1 foot in front of your mouth. Count from one to ten. As you count, slowly bring your palm closer to your mouth. Most likely, by the time you reach “five” you’ll feel the sound waves as they strike your hand. Now keep you palm about 6 inches from your mouth.
Why do bubbles rise in liquids? This is what we are going to find out.Things Required:Large-mouthed jar, 1 gal. (4 litre)Clear plastic tubing, 20 inches (50 cm)Small balloonDirections:Fill the jar with water. Place one end of the clear plastic tubing in the water at the bottom of the jar. Inflate the balloon and twist the
Have you ever been to a party that was lit up by the strings of overhead lights? Sets of these lights hang as holiday or patio decorations. As you may have observed, some of these light sets are hooked up in a special way. When one bulb goes out, the others remain lit! This way
Have you ever removed the front cloth or grill covering of a speaker cabinet? If so, you exposed the sound-pushing surface of the speaker. Turn on the stereo and the speakers vibrate back and forth. The louder the sound, the greater the movement. In this experiment, you’ll construct a device that will also move with
How salt affects buoyancy? In this experiment, we will try to understand this phenomenon.Things Required:Large-mouthed jar, 1 gal. (4 litre)Small bottle with a lid table salt, 2 cupsMeasuring cup, 1 cup (250 ml)Large stirring spoonDirections:Fill the jar three-quarters full of water. Carefully place the closed small bottle in the water. It should float on the
Have you ever tested old batteries in a 2-cell torch? If so, you know that both of the cells need to be working. If one cell has leaked, the torch won’t work. No matter how strong the other cell is, if one cell is bad the light won’t go on. That’s because the electricity needed
If you have seen some war movies, you must have felt an on-screen explosion? If so, you know that sound can be a moving experience. Do you remember which sounds shook you the most? Was it the high-pitched whirls or the booming low pitches? While you are remembering, here’s a smaller-scale rumbling (but one that’s
The purpose of this easy experiment is to determine how metals affect a magnetic field.Things Required:Aluminium foilSteel spatulaBar magnet4 small paper clipsDirections:Lay the paper clips on a table and cover them with a sheet of aluminium foil. Set the magnet on the foil over the clips. Raise the magnet and observe any movement of the
What would happen if you were to connect the positive and negative terminals of a cell together without placing a bulb, motor, or some sort of resistance in the circuit?Answer: If the circuit were left on for more than a few minutes, you’d ruin the cell (and if the current source was large enough, you’d
There is a limit to the amount of information that your brain can process. Think of a cartoon flipbook. When you observe a rapidly flipped sequence of drawings, it becomes impossible to distinguish individual frames. Instead, your brain gets fooled into “seeing” the illusion of continuous action.In this experiment, you’ll construct a type of strobe
Do all types of material are attracted to a magnet? In this experiment, we will find out which material is attracted and which is not.Things Required:Magnet coins: penny, nickel, quarter, dimeIron nailPaper clipAluminium foil, small coin-sized piecePencil paper Directions:Touch the magnet to every object. The pencil has several parts: eraser, metal band, wood and pencil
Dimmers are great devices. Some of these circuit components are attached to ceiling lights or floor lamps. As you rotate the dimmers knob, the light gets brighter or dimmer.Things Required:Pencil (or just a piece of pencil lead AKA graphite)Two “D” cells in battery holdersOne torch bulb in lamp holderConnecting wires with each end stripped 1½
Suppose you mixed blue and yellow pigments. You’d expect to see green.Suppose you mixed red and white pigments. You’d expect to see pink. But suppose you looked at a spinning disc that had a black-and-white pattern. What colour or shade would you expect this blur to be? Make a guess. Then be prepared for a
The intention of this experiment is to demonstrate how electricity and magnetism are related.Things Required:Wire-wrapped nail from Electromagnet experiment6-volt batteryMasking tapeCardboard, 6 inches (15 cm) squareIron filingsScissorsDirections:Ask an adult to punch a hole through the centre of the cardboard, using a nail. Insert the wire-wrapped nail through the hole in the cardboard. Make the cardboard