Experiment House

bend a bone with vinegar

2011-04-21T01:59:00.000-07:00

A jar large enough to fit a chicken bone
A chicken bone - a leg or "drumstick" bone works best
Vinegar

So what happened? What is so special about vinegar that it can make a hard bone squishy? Vinegar is considered a mild acid, but it is strong enough to dissolve away the calcium in the bone. Once the calcium is dissolved, there is nothing to keep the bone hard - all that is left is the soft bone tissue. Now you know why your mom is always trying to get you to drink milk - the calcium in milk goes to our bones to make our bones stronger. With some effort and you can really get the bone to bend.

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does the length of time the bone is in vinegar affect how much the bone bends?

2. Do smaller size bones become "bendy" sooner?

3. Do different types of vinegar affect how bendy bones become ?

Rapid Color Changing Chemistry!

2011-04-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it’s hard to tell SCIENCE from MAGIC - and this little demonstration is a great example of that. In this experiment you will watch an almost clear liquid suddenly turn dark blue in a flash. It takes a bit of preparation, and probably a trip to the pharmacy for materials, but we think it’s worth it.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: This experiment should only be done with the help of an adult. Iodine will stain just about anything it touches and it can be hazardous. Hydrogen peroxide can cause eye and skin irritation - safety goggles are needed throughout the experiment. Be sure you're helpful adult reads the caution labels on each container.

3 clear plastic cups 4 ounces or larger
A 1000 mg Vitamin C tablet from the pharmacy (you can also use two 500mg)
Tincture of iodine (2%) also from the pharmacy
Hydrogen peroxide (3%) yep, also from the pharmacy
Liquid laundry starch (see below for alternatives)
Safety goggles
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup
An adult helper

Put on those safety goggles and mash the 1000 mg Vitamin C tablet by placing it into a plastic bag and crushing it with a rolling pin or the back of a large spoon. Get it into as much of a fine powder as possible. Then put all the powder in the first cup and add 2 ounces (60 ml) of warm water. Stir for at least 30 seconds. (The water may be a little cloudy) Let’s call this “LIQUID A”
Now put 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of your LIQUID A into a new cup and add to it: 2 oz (60 ml) of warm water and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of the iodine. Notice the brown iodine turned clear! Let’s call this “LIQUID B.” By the way, you’re done with LIQUID A - you can put it aside.
In the last cup, mix 2 oz of warm water, 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) of the hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of the liquid starch. This is, you guessed it, “LIQUID C”
Okay, that was a lot of preparation, on to the fun part. Gather the friends and family and pour all of LIQUID B into LIQUID C. Then pour them back and fourth between the 2 cups a few times. Place the cup down and observe….be patient....somewhere between a few seconds and a few minutes, the liquid will suddenly turn dark blue!

This is an example of the chemical reaction know as the IODINECLOCK REACTION. It is called a clock reaction because you can change the amount if time it takes for the liquids to turn blue. (see experiments below) The chemistry of the demonstration gets a bit complicated, but basically it is a battle of chemistry between the starch which is trying to turn the iodine blue, and the Vitamin C which is keeping it from turning blue. Eventually the Vitamin C loses and, bam! - you get instant blueness.

Note: If you do not have liquid starch, you can also use 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch or potato starch. The liquids will be more cloudy and the reaction will happen a bit more slowly, but it’s still impressive.
Clean up: Carefully pour all liquids down the drain with plenty of water and wash your hands. Recycle the cups or dispose of them in the trash.

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does the temperature of the water affect how quickly the liquids turn blue?
2. Does the amount of Vitamin C added (Liquid A) affect how fast the liquid turns blue?
3. Does stirring the liquids more affect how fast the liquids turn blue?

MAKE SOME STARCH SLIME TODAY!

2011-04-21T01:49:00.000-07:00

* 1/4 cup of water
* 1/4 cup of white craft glue (like Elmer's glue)
* 1/4 cup of liquid starch (used for clothes)
* Food coloring (optional)
* Mixing bowl
* Mixing spoon

Pour all of the the glue into the mixing bowl.
Pour all of the water to the mixing bowl with the glue.
Stir the glue and water together.
Add your food color now - about 6 drops should do it.
Now add the liquid starch and stir it in.
It should be nice and blobby by now. As you play with your slimy concoction, it will become more stretchy and easier to hold.
Explore your slimy creation and store it in a zip bag when you are not using it.

The glue is a liquid polymer. This means that the tiny molecules in the glue are in strands like a chain. When you add the liquid starch, the strands of the polymer glue hold together, giving it its slimy feel. The starch acts as a cross-linker that links all the polymer strands together.

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does changing the amount of water or glue change the feel of the slime?

2. Do different glues make better slime?

3. How does changing the amount of each ingredient change how the slime turns out?

4. What happens to slime if it is stored out of a bag compared to in a bag?

for more enquiry mail me at akul753@gmail.com

PLASMA BALL

2011-04-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

How to make a simple plasma globe

Please be careful:

So be aware of high voltage. Please read additional notes concerning your safety given in the text below.
Once you operated your coil it's easy and funny to make some magic with it. A simple plasma globe would amaze you enough. All you have to do is to find an ordinary electric bulb. Since these bulbs are filled with gases to prevent the filament from corrosion and make it much brighter, you can ionize the gas in the bulb and turn it to a plasma globe. Not all of the bulbs have the same gas composition so you may have to search for. Your globe won't look as mysterious as original ones but it's worth to take a look at it.

As you see this circuit is grounded. You are grounded too and this means there is more availability for current to pass through your body. Take precautions for the high voltage cable and the conductive parts of the bulb so prevent yourself and other ones touching them. When you approach your fingers to the bulb you'll observe plasma attracting there. As you dare to touch the glass you may find tiny sparkings hitting your finger without pain but they will burn out your tissue. Intense lightning hitting a point in the glass sphere would cause that point to heat. With my tiny coil, I haven't seen this caused the glass to break but it's possible. If the glass breaks then there will be a chance that sparkings may jump from the bulb's wires to your fingers. Another danger is ozone, produced by the corona built up at the outer surface of the glass, that is harmful to your lungs. Also ultraviolet emission is very high for your eyes in this operation. So run your globe only for a short period, in a well ventilated place, avoiding to touch the bulb, and at an optimum voltage so it won't break and hurt you.
Here are some photos of a bulb I've operated. Notice that sparkings are formed easily and longer in the bulb compared to the ones in the air.

thank you
for more information and particular instruction in simpler language
mail me at akul753@gmail.com

GLOWING HANDS

2011-04-19T11:03:00.002-07:00

Can you think of a way to make your hands glow in the dark?
For this experiment you will need:
• a black light
• petroleum jelly
• latex gloves if you don't want to get your hands messy (caution: some people are allergic to latex gloves!)
• someone to turn on the black light for you.
If you have Latex gloves, put them on your hands. Reach into the jar of petroleum jelly and scoop out enough jelly to cover both hands. Rub the jelly well over both hands, and then ask someone to turn off the lights in the room, and to turn on the black light. Hold your hand under the black light.
What do you see? Can you think of a way you could use this trick when telling ghost stories at night?

MAKING THINGS GLOW IN THE DARK

2011-04-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what makes certain things glow under black lights?

For this experiment you will need:
• a black light
• petroleum jelly
• a piece of paper
First we’ll use the petroleum jelly as a kind of invisible ink. Dip your finger into the jelly, then use your finger to write a message on the piece of paper. Use more jelly if you need to – but this probably isn’t the time to write a long speech! When you’re finished, wipe any remaining jelly off your finger. Have the black light ready, then turn off the room lights and turn on the black light.
Can you see the message? Why is something that you couldn’t see in room light now visible when you can’t see any light?
First, let’s talk about the light. The reason black lights are called "black lights" is because they give off very little light that our eyes can see. Visible light contains a spectrum of colors ranging from red, through orange, yellow, green, and blue, to violet or purple. Beyond violet light in the spectrum is ultraviolet light, which our eyes cannot detect.
You may have heard of ultraviolet light if you know about sunburn. Sunburn is caused by a type of ultraviolet light, which scientists call “ultraviolet B” (UV-B). UV-B is higher in energy than the light from black lights, which is called “ultraviolet A” (UV-A). Black lights will not give you a sunburn.
If we can't see ultraviolet light, why does the petroleum jelly glow under the black light?
Most of the time when we look at an object, we see light reflected from the surface of the object. But with a black light, there isn't much visible light, so simple reflection of light doesn't account for how bright the jelly glows. Petroleum jelly contains substances called phosphors. A phosphor absorbs radiation and emits it as visible light. So the phosphors in the jelly are absorbing the invisible ultraviolet radiation from the black light and emitting visible light.
Can you find anything else in your home that glows under black light?
One thing that usually glows brightly under black lights is a white shirt. Most laundry detergents contain “bluing agents” that are advertised as making the whites “whiter.” In fact, these agents are phosphors that respond to the UV-A radiation in normal light. The black light emphasizes their presence.
Another example of phosphors can be found on new $20 bills. As part of the government’s program to make currency harder to counterfeit, $20 bills issued since October, 2003, have a “security thread” that glows under ultraviolet light. The security thread is being introduced into $50 and $100 bills as well.