Science Experiments

Question: What happens in this experiment and why?

Procedure
1.Blow up a balloon and rub the balloon on your head to build up a charge.
2.Place an empty cola can (aluminum) horizontally on a smooth surface (kitchen floor) and slowly bring the charged balloon close to the can.
3.Observe what happens and record your observations in the science journal.
4.Repeat steps 1 and 2 using a full can of cola.
5.Record in the science journal what happened this time and why?
6.Rub the balloon on your head again. Hold the balloon. Do not set it down.
7.With your other hand, pick up and rub the empty cola can on your head.
8.Place the empty cola can horizontally on the smooth surface and slowly bring the balloon near the can. What happened? Record your observations in the science journal.

Answer: the balloon sticks to the can via static electricity

How to Make Giant Smoke Rings! – Cool Science Experiment

Question: Egg Drop Science Experiment?

I need to drop an egg from six meters for a science class project. But unlike most experiments I need to make something to catch the egg as it hits the ground. No flight alterations can be made. The materials I can use are….
8 straws
1 square foot of cardboard
4 medium or small cups
8 medium or small rubberbands
1 meter of masking tape or half meter of duct tape
12 sheets of copy paper
I can do anything with these materials but they are the only things I can use. Any ideas would be great, all mine have sucked or failed so far.

Answer: Arrange the cardboard so that it is shaped like a deep funnel that will direct the egg in a precise direction on landing (the funnel has to have very angled slides so as to not decelerate the egg just yet, as it could dammage it). Right under the funnel exit, arrange a layer of the 12 sheets of copy paper, held out horizontally one above the other at about 2 cm from one another, loosely held up by their edges to a frame made with the straws and other supplies. As the egg will impact the first sheet, it will drag it down, losing a bit of velocity, hitting the second sheet, draggin theis one, and so on. You may have to experiment a little to see if 2 cm gap is the optimal distance that stops the egg without braking it.

Alternatively, you can cut a complex lacy pattern in the copy paper, to turn them in some sort of tear-away stretchy deceleration catch system.

Egg in a Bottle – Cool Science Experiment

Question: Any good ideas for science experiments?

Well, this weekend I have to do a science experiment (fun and simple but not too easy) for extra credit. Anyone know any good ones? I already know about the bouncy eggs and diet coke and mentos.

Answer: These sites are geared for science fair projects, but maybe you can find something you like and use or adapt the idea for your purpose:

http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Resources/GettingStarted.html

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html

http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/

http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/sci_fair/science_fair.htm

http://www.scienceproject.com/

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html

http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/

http://scienceclub.org/scifair.html

Science Project Topics and Ideas