11 cheap gifts guaranteed to impress science geeks Science comes up with a lot of awesome stuff, and you don't need a Ph.D, a secret lab, or government funding to get your hands on some of the coolest discoveries. We've got a list of 11 mostly affordable gifts that are guaranteed to blow your mind, whether or not you're a science geek. Click on any image to see it enlarged. 1. Also known as frozen smoke, Aerogel is the world's lowest density solid, clocking in at 96% air. Aerogel isn't just neat, it's useful. Price: $35 2. Inside these sealed glass balls live shrimp, algae, and bacteria, all swimming around in filtered seawater. EcoSpheres came out of research looking at ways to develop self-contained ecosystems for long duration space travel. Price: $80 3. NASA has been trying to figure out how to get a sample of rock back from Mars for a while now. Every once in a while, a meteorite smashes into Mars hard enough to eject some rocks out into orbit around the sun. Price: $70+ 4. Price: $150 5. So what's next year's new color going to be? 6.
Chemistry is EASY! How do you write electron configurations? Make a Bouncing Polymer Ball - Experiment with Polymers Introduction Balls have been toys practically forever, but the bouncing ball is a more recent innovation. Bouncing balls were originally made of natural rubber, though now bouncing balls can be made of plastics and other polymers or even treated leather. You can use chemistry to make your own bouncing ball. The bouncing ball in this activity is made from a polymer. Bouncing Polymer Ball Materials Here's a list of materials you need to gather to make bouncing polymer balls: borax (found in the laundry section of the store) cornstarch (found in the baking section of the store) white glue (e.g., Elmer's glue - makes an opaque ball) or blue or clear school glue (makes a translucent ball) warm water food coloring (optional) measuring spoons spoon or craft stick to stir the mixture 2 small plastic cups or other containers for mixing marking pen watch with a second hand metric ruler zip-lock plastic baggie Let's make bouncing polymers balls... Polymer Projects Plastics and Polymers
Matter: Chemical vs. Physical Changes It is important to understand the difference between chemical and physical changes. Some changes are obvious, but there are some basic ideas you should know. Physical changes are usually about states and physical states of states. Chemical changes happen on a molecular level when you have two or more molecules that interact. Chemical changes happen when atomic bonds are broken or created during chemical reactions. When you melt an ice cube (H2O), you have a physical change because you add energy. Chemical changes happen on a much smaller scale. Melting a sugar cube is a physical change because the substance is still sugar. Iron (Fe) rusts when it is exposed to oxygen gas in the air. Some chemical changes are extremely small and happen over a series of steps. The sugars glucose, galactose, and fructose all have six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms, and six oxygen atoms (C6H12O6). Or search the sites for a specific topic.
Pinto Bean Germination Experiment Ready, set, grow! How long does it take for a bean to get growing? How does a beanstalk grow in the first place? In this experiment, you’ll investigate the growth of pinto beans and see if you can create a stronger bean plant by giving plants the nutrients they need to survive and thrive. Materials Paper towels 5 Clear plastic cups 10 Pinto bean seeds 5 Plant misters Tap water Magnifying glass Permanent marker Wood ash from a fireplace Liquid kelp fertilizer Liquid fish fertilizer 1 tsp. Procedure Place your clear plastic cups on a table. Results After 4 to 5 days, the growing bean seedlings will begin to sprout. Why? Inside a seed, there’s a whole new plant waiting to grow. Plants need water and light to grow. Wood ash is high in potassium, which provides the correct environment for plant metabolism. Disclaimer and Safety Precautions Education.com provides the Science Fair Project Ideas for informational purposes only.
Future - Chemonoia: the fear blinding our minds to real dangers If you were paranoid, you might think there really was something in the water that’s damaged our sense of reason. But since about the 1960s, a strange, pervasive fear has swept across the developed world – the illusion that there is a miasma of poison threatening to invade our bodies. It’s changed the food we eat, the air we breathe, the toys we give our children. Our bete noire? Chemonoia is the excessive fear of ‘chemicals’, based on emotion more than information Scientists have a name for this phobia – ‘chemonoia’. Although you could argue that “it’s better to be safe than sorry”, some experts argue that this fear of chemicals may have some unhealthy consequences. The origins of chemonoia can be traced to the 1960s, with mounting concerns about the use of pesticides such as DDT. We are primed to fear the artificial and prefer the natural. He points to evidence showing that humans are primed to fear the artificial and prefer the natural. What can be done?
Build Your Own Lungs Type Life Science Grade 5th – 7th Difficulty of the Project Medium Cost Safety Issues None Approximate Time Required to Complete the Project 10 – 20 minutes Objective Witness the process of how the lungs expand and contract with the help of the diaphragm. Materials and Equipment/Ingredients Balloons(Grocery/Convenience Store) Clear Plastic 1 Liter Soda Bottles (Grocery Store) Tape (Hardware/ Office Supply Store) Rubber Bands (Hardware/ Office Supply Store) Y Shaped Tube Introduction Build your own lungs out of balloons and soda bottles. Terms, Concepts and Questions for Background Research Expand and Contract Pressure P.S.I. Research Questions What causes the balloons to expand? Experimental Procedure Cut the soda bottle’s bottom end so that it has a large circle on the bottom and the spout on the top. Put this balloon on the bottom of the bottle so that it covers the circular opening. To work the model, pull on the bottom balloon and watch as the 2 balloons on the inside of the bottle grow bigger.
All About Your Senses: Experiments to Try Skip Navigation KidsHealth from Nemours for Parents for Kids for Teens What Other Kids Are Reading All About Your Senses: Experiments to Try KidsHealth> Kids> Movies & More> Experiments> All About Your Senses: Experiments to Try Your body does some amazing things, so why not put it to the test? Sign up for our free weekly eNewsletters here Visit the Nemours Web site. Note: All information on KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only. © 1995-2015 The Nemours Foundation. Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com Skip Navigation KidsHealth from Nemours for Parents for Kids for Teens What Other Kids Are Reading All About Your Senses: Experiments to Try KidsHealth> Kids> Movies & More> Experiments> All About Your Senses: Experiments to Try Your body does some amazing things, so why not put it to the test? Sign up for our free weekly eNewsletters here View: Mobile | Desktop
Là est la question Manipulations Verse un peu de lait dans le bol Ensuite, dépose quelques gouttes de colorant alimentaire sur la surface du lait, mais sans mélanger. Tu peux t'amuser à déposer plusieurs couleurs dans le bol, chacune séparée. Trempe légèrement le bout du manche de la cuillère de bois dans le savon à vaisselle. Explication Au contact du savon à vaisselle, les gouttes de colorant se dispersent rapidement. Le lait renferme beaucoup d'eau.
science - Edventures with Kids We are gearing up for some science fun with this week's Discover & Explore linky. I love introducing hands-on science activities to kids so that they can experiment, think and ponder all those wonderful questions they love to ask to stump their parents ;) There are a number of easy ways to learn with science -- many of them arise from the questions the kids have about things they see happening in the world around them. For fun ideas about how to introduce every day science concepts, try a few of these fun ways to teach kids about science. Other questions are more easily answered with a quick experiment like this one on optial illustions. My kids have always been crazy over the optical illusions they see in books and very intrigued in how it's done. Amazing Optical Illusions Xtreme Illusions (National Geographic Kids) An optical illusion is a visual image that can be perceived differently depending on how you look at it. This is a super easy one to do at home -- here's what you'll need:
Activity: Create a noisemaker - Learning Activities By Dr. Fred Stein, Consulting Educator This activity reinforces the skills of observation, asking questions and experimentation. Our science consultant Fred Stein explains that at the first-grade level, students are able to ask "What will happen if…" questions. What You'll Need: Paper cup Paper clip Cotton String Scissors Paper towel Water Here's How to Do It This simple noise-maker creates amusing sounds by rubbing a string attached to a cup. Tie about a half-meter (2 feet) of string to a paper clip with a double knot. To play your laughing cup, moisten a paper towel and fold it over the string. How many kinds of sounds can you make? untitled Healthy Kids : Healthy Kids Activities Think a vegetable can’t teach you anything? Well think again! Try these cool experiments and activities and see what you learn! Colourful celery experiment Place a celery stalk in a clear container. Try the experiment with other plants – maybe one with a white flower. Plants draw the water up their stem and send it on to their leaves and petals. Like the celery, your body is mostly water. Salty potato experiment Cut a potato in half. Like the potato, salty food and drinks make people thirsty. Vegetable person drawing Draw your own ‘vegetable person’ using real vegetables, photos of vegetables or a combination of both. The picture of Vegieman may give you some ideas. It’s good to eat a variety of vegetables over the week. Traffic light fruit kebabs To make traffic light fruit kebabs, you’ll need: red fruit, such as strawberries or plums orange fruit, such as rockmelon or mandarin green fruit, such as honeydew, green grapes or kiwi fruit wooden skewers or large tooth picks.