The Mad Scientist Teaches: Physics - 78 Fun Science Experiments for Grades 1 to 8

1.41

THE MAD SCIENTIST TEACHES: PHYSICS

VOLUME 5 | 78 science projects for grades 1 to 8

Revision 1.41

This edition was first internationally published in Dec 2010 by JBC Media Group (Pty) Ltd for www.experiland.com. Original fixed layouts remastered in .epub & .mobi formats (Jan 2017)

ISBN: 9781370856275

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_TABLE OF CONTENTS

[PREFACE]

Preface

Introduction

Let’s Begin!

A Word about Safety

How to…

What is Physics About?

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: ACOUSTICS]

Project 01 - Can You Hear It?

Testing the best conductors of sound

Project 02 - Music to My Ears

Make a whistle to learn more about sound & music

Project 03 - Hear Me Out

Make a tin can telephone

Project 04 - More Music to My Ears

Make a kazoo to learn more about sound and music

Project 05 - Reflecting On Sound

Control the direction of soundwaves by reflecting it with umbrellas

Project 06 - Tick, Tock!

Use a balloon filled with carbon dioxide to amplify sound waves

Project 07 - It’s A Beautiful Noise

Make music with a tin can and a string

Project 08 - Water Bottle Xylophone

Make music with bottles filled with water

Project 09 - The Guitar Hero

Make your own guitar out of an ordinary shoebox

Project 10 - As The Call, So The Echo

Make a depth graph using the principles of echo-location

Project 11 - Good Vibrations

Study how sound vibrations can transfer from one wine glass to another

Project 12 - A Reflection of Sound Patterns

Use sound waves to make beautiful patterns on a wall

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: AIR PRESSURE]

Project 13 - Thank You for Flying with Us

Learn about the concept of flight by making a paper plane

Project 14 - Blow the Bag Up

Make use of the power of air pressure to lift objects

Project 15 - Moving Upwards

Lift water in a glass by the weight of the air

Project 16 - Air Force One

Study the powerful force of air pressure

Project 17 - Gone with The Wind

Observe how a stream of air can follow a curved surface

Project 18 - Siphon Suction

Find out how a simple siphon works

Project 19 - You Spin Me Round, Round

Learn about gyroscopic flight by making a Frisbee

Project 20 - Catching The Wind

Learn about the power of moving air by making a windmill

Project 21 - Working Under Pressure

Propel a small boat with compressed air

Project 22 - Rev Up a Rotor

Build a rotor and have some fun in the wind

Project 23 - Sir, Yes Sir!

Make your own simple submarine

Project 24 - Dog-Friendly Water Feeder

Make a self-filling water bowl for pets using air pressure

Project 25 - Rocket Science Under Pressure

Launch your own horizontal rocket with the power of air pressure

Project 26 - Parachute Pleasure

Study how a parachute floats down to earth so slowly

Project 27 - As Light as Air?

Study how much air weighs by making a balance

Project 28 - No Spilling Please

Keep water from falling out of an upside down drinking glass

Project 29 - Working Under Pressure 2

Propel a small boat with air pressure

Project 30 - Vertical Rocket Science

Launch your own vertical rocket with the power of air pressure

Project 31 - Wind Up a Windmill

Make a windmill do some simple work for you

Project 32 - Smooth Sailing

Drive a sailboat with this fun science experiment

Project 33 - Hovering Hot-Air Balloon

Learn how a hot-air balloon works by making one

Project 34 - Breathing Air

Study how air fills spaces that look empty

Project 35 - Fountain Fun!

Make a water fountain in a jar with air pressure

Project 36 - Eggs for Breakfast!

Make an egg eating bottle with the science of air pressure

Project 37 - Hungry Fire

Study how fire use up air when burning

Project 38 - Can You Crush a Can?

Use the power of air pressure to crush a tin can

Project 39 - Two-Stage Rocket Science

Make a two-stage rocket powered by air pressure

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: ENERGY & POWER]

Project 40 - Elastic Effort

Make a spool ‘walk’ with the energy stored in an elastic band

Project 41 - Turbine Power

Study how a water turbine works with a milk carton

Project 42 - Love Many, Trust Few, Paddle You Own Canoe

Drive a paddle boat with the energy stored in an elastic band

Project 43 - The Power of Falling Water

Make a simple water turbine to produce ‘hydro’ power

Project 44 - The Comeback Can

Make a tin can that will comeback like a boomerang

Project 45 - Blast Off!

Launch a powerful rocket using water pressure

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: FORCES & MOTION]

Project 46 - A Lazy Coin

Learn about inertia and how it affects objects

Project 47 - Can You Tie a Water Knot?

Tie water in knots with the power of surface tension

Project 48 - Swing the Lead

Investigate how a pendulum works

Project 49 - Pulling a Fast One!

Prove you are stronger than your friends with a simple pulley system

Project 50 - Boat Powered by Soap!

Propel a small boat with a piece of soap

Project 51 - Don’t Dive Too Deep

Have fun with the cartesian diver experiment

Project 52 - Swing the Lead Twice

Make a pendulum bowling game

Project 53 - Moving Matchsticks

Make matchsticks move without touching them

Project 54 - Picking Up Heavy Metal

Pick up heavy weights easily with a simple pulley system

Project 55 - Bursting Your Bubble

Blow soap bubbles to investigate the strength of surface tension

Project 56 - Picking Up Heavy Metal 2

Pick up heavy weights easily with a double pulley system

Project 57 - Still Waters Run Deep!

Make a depth indicator similar to the gauges used on ships

Project 58 - Need a Lift?

Design & build you own kite

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: MECHANICS]

Project 59 - Have You Got Leverage?

Learn about levers with this simple experiment

Project 60 - The Centre of Gravity

Learn about and object's centre of gravity

Project 61 - Flipping Fun

Have some fun with the science of levers

Project 62 - Balancing Act

Balance forks on a string with the science of levers

Project 63 - Changing Gear

Make some gears out of cardboard to learn how they work

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: OPTICS & LIGHT]

Project 64 - Lights, Camera, Action!

Learn how motion pictures work by making a ‘Thaumatrope’

Project 65 - Welcome to The House of Fun!

Have fun with a curvy fun house mirror

Project 66 - Director’s Cut

Learn more about motion pictures by making a flip book

Project 67 - A Colour Wheel of White

Make colours vanish to white by a spinning colour wheel

Project 68 - Magnification Magic

Make a magnifying glass with a pin and paper only

Project 69 - Say Cheese!

Build your own camera out of a shoe box

Project 70 - Eyes in The Back of Your Head

Make your own homemade periscope

Project 71 - Can You See That?

Make your own homemade telescope

Project 72 - Colour of A Kaleidoscope

Make a kaleidoscope to view beautiful coloured shapes

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: HEAT & THERMODYNAMICS]

Project 73 - Science Friction!

Learn how friction causes heat energy to be produced

Project 74 - Heating Things Up!

Study how the sun affects the air with a lamp and baby powder

Project 75 - If You Can’t Take the Heat…

Use ice cubes to test if dark colours absorb more heat than light colours

Project 76 - Burst into Flames

Hold a match under an inflated balloon without bursting it

Project 77 - A Fountain of Colours

Make a fountain by separating colours with the rise of hot water

Project 78 - Keeping Things Heated

Study which materials works best as a heat insulator

[EPILOGUE]

Unit Conversions

Acknowledgements

Thank you

INTRODUCTION

FOREWORD

Thank you for purchasing a science experiment e-book from Experiland.com! Whether you are a parent or a student trying to find an idea for a science project, a teacher looking for ideas for the classroom, or a science enthusiast who enjoys the delight of experimentation, we trust you will find what you're looking for in this book. This book is a fascinating collection of both old and new science projects & experiments covering the whole basic spectrum of the astonishing field of science, and at the same time avoiding repetitions and similarities so often found in science project literature.

This book is not intended for serious scientists, we will not be discussing quantum physics, Astrophysical equations, or Human stem cell cyto-kinesis. Rather is it written and compiled as fun educational entertainment for the young scientist who enjoys putting their mental agility to test and curiosity to rest!

Enjoy the content and may you have many hours of fun with the experiments!

LET’S BEGIN!

GREETINGS!

Greetings fellow scientists! Welcome to the exciting exploration of the world around us...the world of science. This is a book full of fun & though-provoking science projects and experiments that will teach you, step-by-step, how to create an exciting project that not only demonstrates good scientific practice but provides a safe and fun educational experience too! With this book you will discover that science is a part of every object in our daily lives. Who knows? Maybe someday you'll create your own fascinating inventions—or even grow up to be a rocket scientist!

You can read all the books on music and guitars in the world, but that won't make you a great guitar player. You have to actually practise with a guitar to get it right! It is easiest to figure things out by getting your hands 'dirty' by doing! Science works exactly the same way. Yes, you can learn a lot in science class or by doing homework, but there's nothing quite as much fun as learning by getting your hands dirty doing some science experiments.

Science can be really simple and is actually only about understanding the world you live in! Science certainly does not need to be complicated formulas, heavy text books and geeky guys in white lab coats with thick glasses. Doing science experiments are all about testing and getting results, even if you get a surprising result than you might not have expected. But remember, even if things don't work out as you would have hoped, a good scientist is constantly asking: Why? Science is in fact only an organized system created by people to gather and store information. We use it as a way to define and understand the world we live in!

Science experiments are an awesome part of science that allows you to engage in cool and exciting hands on learning experiences that you are sure to enjoy and remember! A short introduction to each project will help raise questions in your mind, followed by step-by-step instructions for creating your project. Finally, our conclusion and learn more sections will help you understand what your project demonstrates and how this information can answer broader questions about science.

Most of the items you will need for the experiments, such as jars, aluminium foil, scissors and sticky tape, you can find around your home. Others, such as magnets, lenses or a compass, you will be able to buy quite cheaply at a hobby shop or hardware store.

When you carry out experiments, always keep notes about the things you use (materials / apparatus), what you do (method), and what happens (observations, results and conclusion). All scientists do this. If an experiment does not work first time, don’t be discouraged. Try again. You may find there is something simple you have not done. Surprisingly, by doing things wrong, you sometimes learn more than when you do things right!

Have fun experimenting!

A WORD ABOUT SAFETY

RATHER BE A SAFE THAN SORRY SCIENTIST!

Science experiments should be enjoyable, interesting, and thought-provoking, but most importantly, they should be safe to do! Some science experiments can however be dangerous. Always ask an adult to help you with experiments that call for adult help, such as those that involve matches or flames, hammers, or other dangerous materials. Don't forget to ask your parents' permission to use household items, and put away your equipment and clean up your work area when you have finished experimenting. Good scientists are careful and avoid accidents.

Before you start, remember a few do’s:

• DO ask permission from your parents or another adult before trying any of the projects.

• DO ask their advice if you