http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lKuOlvQBAs
I find this blog to be very interesting and well developed. It includes several interviewees who appear to be credible by their title and professions. The podcast talks about the importance of science and technology in the developing world and the need for establishing science and technology universities in African countries. It also provides a social aspect on women in the continent, as their roles are undermined. One of the female interviewee made a good point that food, water and energy are all related to women, therefore they need to be a part of this developing science and technology economy. I like the topic of this podcast, it seems to be professionally done so the audio and video are of good quality. The French also put a little umph to it.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Science Podcast- National Geographics' Sea Monsters Part 3
What I really liked about this podcast was that it used video and also slides to present the information. I thought that by being able to listen to the audio and then see in a brief summary slide the information just listened to made the podcast easy to follow and also easier to remember afterwards. I also liked the music and the graphics in the podcast a lot. I thought that they fit really well together and both made the podcast interesting.
In regards to the information in the podcast, my favorite sea monster was the Hesperornis. I thought it was pretty cool that there was a bird that swim with a beak full of teeth.
Science project podcast
Bad:
This would of been better if we had some sort of introduction to what we were going to see. Maybe had voice over to hear the kids having fun doing the experiment or telling us what was being added.
Good:
Having a link as a source.
Science Podcast
I thought that this podcast was well done for several reasons. Lakes and ponds are a normal part of New England life and activity, yet it is rare for one to think about the science aspects. I like the narrator of the podcast because she is personable...I feel like she could be my next door neighbor. I thought that the podcast did a great job of making the science facts interesting with the explanations, animations, and easy language. I spend my summers on a lake, so this video had cool personal meaning to me.
Cuttlefish Video Podcast (Vodcast)
I think that this podcast does a good job for a certain type of viewer. I think that if you are already interested in science and old enough to understand it, it does a great job of giving a lot of information in a little bit of time. It also gives enough information to make you want to find out more. It was well organized and a good lenth for it's purpose. However, I feel that podcasts for this class (if they are being directed to people who we are trying to get more involved in science, that may not be very involved already)should have more exciting visuals. I also think that explanations should be in more common language than in this podcast so that they would be more friendly to those without a lot of background information.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Turtle Podcast
I thought that this video was a decent example of a well-structured podcast. It was short yet very informational, had more than one interviewee, and also interesting material. The use of interviewing two people rather than one almost made it more official. I also liked the use of different camera shots and effects.
Podcast: The art and physics of pitching
I chose this podcast of Bill "the spaceman" Lee. I did an the evolutionary biology search and WGBH came up as a source at the bottom and his presentation was among a lot of other really cool science topics. I really enjoyed it because Bill Lee is quite the character, he's actually a pretty smart guy with strong opinions and great baseball knowledge. Also his stories are great, anyone who is a sox fan or a baseball fan should definitely check it out. I was hoping it would have been more science or physics related, he only mentions a few aspects of pitching that involve physics and I was a bit dissapointed by that but it was entertaining and informative nonetheless.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Assignment for Monday, 10/6
Helloooo Everyone!
Here's the stuff you'll need to do by Monday!
See you all Monday, and have an AWESOME weekend!
~Sara
Here's the stuff you'll need to do by Monday!
- Read Tony Vincent's Podcasting for Teachers and Students, from start to pg. 10 (this should be pretty quick, the pages are filled up with lots of pictures)
- Read Journalism 2.0 Chapter 7, Digital Audio and Podcasting
- Be prepared to discuss the readings on Monday...I want to hear from everyone! Jot down some notes or questions to bring up during the discussion.
- Using iTunes or some of the other podcast hosting sites, find what you think is a good or awful example of a science podcast, and post it to the blog along with your opinion of it. (If you can't figure out how to post the video, just post the title and remind me how to show you next class!)
- Recall Peg's lecture about the different areas of focus for the semester. You are all required to complete 3 out of the 4 activities, one of which being developing and outreach tool the MAS can use. The other two you can choose out of school visits, fundraising, or professional networking (conferences). Start thinking about what you would like to focus on this semester. We'll get these set in stone on Wednesday!
See you all Monday, and have an AWESOME weekend!
~Sara
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Fun Ideas!
MAKING GLUE WITH KITCHEN MATERIAL
Materials:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ICE CREAM FROM A PLASTIC BAG
Materials:
- skim milk
- baking soda
- vinegar
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- paper towels
- rubber band
Procedure: Did you know you can make glue from vinegar and milk? Here's how.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1/2 cup of skim milk. Stir them together and let the mixture sit for two minutes. The vinegar will make the protein in the milk stick together to form small white lumps called curds. The leftover liquid is called whey.
- Next, you'll need to strain the curds since you won't need the whey to make glue. To make a strainer, put a folded paper towel over an empty cup. Push it down in the center so it forms a bowl shape. Put a rubber band around the top of the cup to hold the paper towel in place. Pour the curds and whey into the cup with the paper towel. The whey will go through the paper towel and the curds will stay on top. Wait about five minutes for the whey to drain through the paper towel.
- Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the curds. Put them between two dry paper towels and press down to get all the whey out.
- Put the curds into another cup, stir in two teaspoons of water and then add one teaspoon of baking soda. The baking soda reacts with the vinegar that's in the curds, producing carbon dioxide. If you hold the mixture up to your ear, you can hear tiny bubbles popping. If this mixture doesn't look like glue, just add some water.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ICE CREAM FROM A PLASTIC BAG
Materials:
- 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 4 cups crushed ice
- 4 tbsp. salt (preferably rock salt)
- 2 quart zipper bags
- 1 gallon zipper freezer bags
Procedure:
- Seal 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla and 1 tbsp. of sugar in a quart-size zipper bag, making sure to squeeze out as much of the air you can so the bag doesn't open when you shake it.
- Double bag the mixture to avoid leakage. Place the first bag into a second quart-size zipper bag, releasing as much air as possible before sealing it tightly.
- Fill a gallon-size zipper bag with crushed ice and nestle the double-bagged milk-sugar mixture in the ice.
- Sprinkle 4 tbsp. of rock salt on top of the ice. Though regular salt will also work, youd ice cream won't be as solidly frozen. Rock salt is specifically designed to absord heat and and lower the freezing point of water.
- Seal the gallon bag tightly after letting out as much air as you can.
- Shake and gently squeeze the bag. You'll need to make sure that the inner bag is constantly surrounded by ice during this process.
- Check the mixture about five minutes into shaking it. If it's not ice cream yet, it will be well on its way. Shake it a few minutes more if necessary, then open the bag over the sink.
- Leave the bag with ice in the sink to finish melting and remove your ice cream.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Demo Idea: Density Spheres
Title: Steel Density Spheres
Source: http://www.teachersource.com/Density/DensityKits/SteelSphereDensityKit.aspx
Target Age: Grade 3+
Materials Required: Sphere Kit, Large glass bowl, Water
Prep Time Required: <5 minutes
Demo Time Required: <10 minutes
Description: The two spheres have approximately the same mass and appearance, but different densities and sizes. The smaller sphere sinks, but the larger floats. Before dropping the two in water, ask the class audience what they think will happen. Most likely is that the class will think that either they both sink, or only the large will sink. After you drop the balls into the water, ask the class what they think happened. Let them guess and experiment themselves by feeling the balls or dropping them in the water themselves. This experiment will help teach kids both the principle of density, and also that they should never take anything at face value, and should instead experiment to find out what's really true.
Source: http://www.teachersource.com/Density/DensityKits/SteelSphereDensityKit.aspx
Target Age: Grade 3+
Materials Required: Sphere Kit, Large glass bowl, Water
Prep Time Required: <5 minutes
Demo Time Required: <10 minutes
Description: The two spheres have approximately the same mass and appearance, but different densities and sizes. The smaller sphere sinks, but the larger floats. Before dropping the two in water, ask the class audience what they think will happen. Most likely is that the class will think that either they both sink, or only the large will sink. After you drop the balls into the water, ask the class what they think happened. Let them guess and experiment themselves by feeling the balls or dropping them in the water themselves. This experiment will help teach kids both the principle of density, and also that they should never take anything at face value, and should instead experiment to find out what's really true.
Demo Ideas
Title: Floating and Sinking Experiments
Source: http://www.sciencekidsathome.com
Target age: kindergarten scientists
Materials: Clear plastic or glass container, water, baking soda, food coloring, rice and raisons and any other small pieces of food items
Prep Time: less than 5 mins
Demo Time: 5 minutes or more
Source: http://www.sciencekidsathome.com
Target age: kindergarten scientists
Materials: Clear plastic or glass container, water, baking soda, food coloring, rice and raisons and any other small pieces of food items
Prep Time: less than 5 mins
Demo Time: 5 minutes or more
Description: Almost fill container with 3 parts water and one part viegar. Leave room at the top of the container.
Slowly add one teaspoon of baking soda very slowly, adding too much at one time will make it bubble over the top. When the bubbles settle down, slowly add another teaspoon of baking soda. When the bubbles settle, add a few drops of food coloring. notice the liquid is moving and quickly mixes in color. Now comes the fun part! Will the items float or sink? Drop in a few of the first item. usually they will sink to the bottom. Wait a few mins and they will rise to the surface, then sink again. Rice almost seem to dance! The itmes can be watched for hours. If movement seems to slow down, add another teaspoon of baking soda.
Slowly add one teaspoon of baking soda very slowly, adding too much at one time will make it bubble over the top. When the bubbles settle down, slowly add another teaspoon of baking soda. When the bubbles settle, add a few drops of food coloring. notice the liquid is moving and quickly mixes in color. Now comes the fun part! Will the items float or sink? Drop in a few of the first item. usually they will sink to the bottom. Wait a few mins and they will rise to the surface, then sink again. Rice almost seem to dance! The itmes can be watched for hours. If movement seems to slow down, add another teaspoon of baking soda.
What is Happening?
The vinegar is an acid and the baking soda is a base. When you combine them, a chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide bubbles build up on the surface of the object, it floats to the surface and releases the gas. Then it sinks back to the bottom to start the process again.
Demo Idea - Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Title: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Source: http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ht/n2icecream.htm
Target Age: PK - 12th grade
Materials Required:
5 or more liters of liquid nitrogen
gloves and goggles recommended
large plastic or stainless steel punch bowl or salad bowl
4 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 quart mashed fresh strawberries or thawed frozen berries
additional half cup of sugar if you are using unsweetened berries
wooden spoon
wire whisk
Prep Time Required: 15 Min
Demo Time Required: 5 Min (pouring in liquid nitrogen and stirring)
Description:
This recipe makes a half gallon of strawberry ice cream. First, mix the cream, half-and-half, and sugar in the bowl using the wire whisk. Continue mixing until the sugar has dissolved.
If you are making vanilla or chocolate ice cream, whisk in vanilla or chocolate syrup now. Add any other liquid flavorings you might want.
Put on your gloves and goggles. Pour a small amount of liquid nitrogen directly into the bowl with the ice cream ingredients. Continue to stir the ice cream, while slowly adding more liquid nitrogen. As soon as the cream base starts to thicken, add the mashed strawberries. Stir vigorously.
When the ice cream becomes too thick for the whisk, switch to the wooden spoon. As it hardens more, remove the spoon and just pour the remaining liquid nitrogen onto the ice cream to fully harden it.
Allow the excess liquid nitrogen to boil off before serving the ice cream.
Source: http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ht/n2icecream.htm
Target Age: PK - 12th grade
Materials Required:
5 or more liters of liquid nitrogen
gloves and goggles recommended
large plastic or stainless steel punch bowl or salad bowl
4 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 quart mashed fresh strawberries or thawed frozen berries
additional half cup of sugar if you are using unsweetened berries
wooden spoon
wire whisk
Prep Time Required: 15 Min
Demo Time Required: 5 Min (pouring in liquid nitrogen and stirring)
Description:
This recipe makes a half gallon of strawberry ice cream. First, mix the cream, half-and-half, and sugar in the bowl using the wire whisk. Continue mixing until the sugar has dissolved.
If you are making vanilla or chocolate ice cream, whisk in vanilla or chocolate syrup now. Add any other liquid flavorings you might want.
Put on your gloves and goggles. Pour a small amount of liquid nitrogen directly into the bowl with the ice cream ingredients. Continue to stir the ice cream, while slowly adding more liquid nitrogen. As soon as the cream base starts to thicken, add the mashed strawberries. Stir vigorously.
When the ice cream becomes too thick for the whisk, switch to the wooden spoon. As it hardens more, remove the spoon and just pour the remaining liquid nitrogen onto the ice cream to fully harden it.
Allow the excess liquid nitrogen to boil off before serving the ice cream.
Experiment- Invisible Ink
Title: INVISIBLE INK
Target Age: Elementary
What you'll need:
- Half a lemon
- Water
- Spoon
- Bowl
- Cotton bud
- White paper
- Lamp or other light bulb
Instructions:
- Squeeze some lemon juice into the bowl and add a few drops of water.
- Mix the water and lemon juice with the spoon.
- Dip the cotton bud into the mixture and write a message onto the white paper.
- Wait for the juice to dry so it becomes completely invisible.
- When you are ready to read your secret message or show it to someone else, heat the paper by holding it close to a light bulb.
Why this Works?
Lemon juice is an organic substance that oxidizes and turns brown when heated. Diluting the lemon juice in water makes it very hard to notice when you apply it the paper, no one will be aware of its presence until it is heated and the secret message is revealed. Other substances which work in the same way include orange juice, honey, milk, onion juice, vinegar and wine. Invisible ink can also be made using chemical reactions or by viewing certain liquids under ultraviolet (UV) light.
Demo Ideas
All these experiments came from this website;
http://www.theteachersguide.com/Sciencedemos1.htm
Some offered sources, some didn't, and some information is slightly different but the concepts and experiments are straight forward. It did not offer any idea of how long each experiment would take to prep and perform but I think most of them are pretty cut and dry while the scientific method experiment might take a bit longer.
1.
Subject Area: Physics Concepts
-Volume
-Change of State
-Volume of Gases
-Atmospheric Pressure
Grade: Middle-High School
Title: THE COLLAPSING CAN
Materials:
One empty aluminum can (354 ml)
A Hot plate or burner
Large bowl of water
Tongs to hold pop can
Procedure:
Put about 5 ml of water in the pop can (just enough to cover the bottom).
Heat the can over the hot plate or burner.
Let the water boil vigorously.
In a single motion, remove the pop can from the burner and INVERT it in the bowl of water.
Submerge the opening to the pop can in to the water. The can will IMPLODE instantly.
Questions:
What was in the can besides water?
What happens when water is boiled?
What do you think will happen if the can is inverted in the bowl of water?
What happens to the air in the can as water vapor is formed?
What force is working on the outside of the can?
Rationale:
Before heating, the can was filled with water and air. By boiling the water, it changes states, from liquid to gas (water vapor). The water vapor (steam) pushes the air that was inside, out of the can. By inverting the can in water, we are cooling the vapor very quickly and constraining the potential for rapid flow of air back into the can. The cooling condenses the water vapor back to water. All of the vapor which took up the interior space of the can before is now turned into a few drops of water, which take up much less space. This causes the pressure to drop and the atmospheric pressure is therefore pushing on the can and crushing it.
The total force working on the outside of the can is the total of the can's surface area in cm. multiplied by 1 kg.
Application:
Production of vacuum containers
Home canning
2.
Subject Area: General Science
Grade: Middle School
Title:MAGIC LID
Objective: To show students that atmospheric pressure is not just a downward force, but is a force acting in all directions.
Materials:
1-one gallon jar
1-glass dish large enough to cover mouth of jar
Procedure: Fill jar completly full, so the meiniscus stands high. Place glass plate on top of the jar. making sure that no air is trapped between jar and glass plate. Then quickly turn the jar upside down. It may take a couple of times to get this right, so this should be done over a sink area.
Questions:
What will happen to the plate? Will it fall or stay in place?
What causes the plate to stick to the jar?
What conclusions can one draw from this?
Is atmospheric pressure greater than water pressure?
How tall would a cup have to be in order for the water pressure inside to overcome the atmospheric pressure outside?
Rationale: This is an application of atmospheric pressure. Most students think that atmospheric pressure and the force of gravity have only a downward effect, the latter is true, but atmospheric pressure exerts force in all directions. This is what allows the plate to stay attached to the jar.
3.
Title: B Squared (Burning Balloons)
Source: Robert Ruisinger
Grade: 7-12 (chemistry)
Materials: One balloon filled with water, one balloon filled with air to an equal volume, and matches.
Procedure: Hold the lit match to the balloon filled with air and it will pop immediately. Next, hold the lit match to the water balloon and notice that it will not pop. It is advisable not to hold the match in one place for too long, because it may eventually pop! You may want to one before the other one, depending on your application.
Concept: The air balloon explodes immediately because the heat from the lit match quickly burns through the rubber wall. The water balloon, does not explode because the water inside absorbs the heat and disperses it throughout the volume of water. It does not let the rubber wall get to it's melting point. You can tie this demo into a lesson on heat capacities, melting points, heat absorption, conduction, etc. . Credits: South Windsor High School, South Windsor, CT 06074
4.
Source:Toni Orso
Subject Area: General Science
Grade:(7-12)
Concepts Covered by Demonstration: Scientific Method
Title: The Black Whole
Materials:
A coffee can which is specially constructed (a slanted metal piece attached on the inside to keep water in.
A glass of water
Procedure:
Hold the coffee can above the observers to ensure that they can not view what is inside.
Pour a glass of water directly into the coffee can. Note: do not let observers see inside to coffee can.
Tip the can over on the side which will allow no water to spill out of the coffee can.
Questions:
Describe exactly what you observed.
Based on your observations, describe or draw what might be in the coffee can.
Are you making an educated guess about what occurred?
What is the scientific word for making and educated guess?
How might you collect further information to support your educated guess?
Write down some examples in which scientist have made educated guess about natural events that occur to try to explain what is happening in the world.
Rationale: This demonstration is an excellent way to introduce the Scientific Method because it deals with observing and recording those observations. Furthermore, the students can make an educated guess (hypothesis) about what might be occurring.
Students can also be introduced to the idea that in science there are many wonders that scientist can not fully explain. Scientist can only make observations and try to collect as much information as possible and based on the knowledge they gain from these observations they can hypothesize about what is happening. For example, scientist did not actually see the dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic Period; However, they can predict because of the evidence that was left behind in the fossil record.
It is important to inform the students that even though their educated guess about what was inside the coffee can was correct, that they would have to do millions of test to state that it was because in order for a hypothesis to become a fact or theory an enormous amount of data must be collected to support the hypothesis and millions of tests must have taken place.
http://www.theteachersguide.com/Sciencedemos1.htm
Some offered sources, some didn't, and some information is slightly different but the concepts and experiments are straight forward. It did not offer any idea of how long each experiment would take to prep and perform but I think most of them are pretty cut and dry while the scientific method experiment might take a bit longer.
1.
Subject Area: Physics Concepts
-Volume
-Change of State
-Volume of Gases
-Atmospheric Pressure
Grade: Middle-High School
Title: THE COLLAPSING CAN
Materials:
One empty aluminum can (354 ml)
A Hot plate or burner
Large bowl of water
Tongs to hold pop can
Procedure:
Put about 5 ml of water in the pop can (just enough to cover the bottom).
Heat the can over the hot plate or burner.
Let the water boil vigorously.
In a single motion, remove the pop can from the burner and INVERT it in the bowl of water.
Submerge the opening to the pop can in to the water. The can will IMPLODE instantly.
Questions:
What was in the can besides water?
What happens when water is boiled?
What do you think will happen if the can is inverted in the bowl of water?
What happens to the air in the can as water vapor is formed?
What force is working on the outside of the can?
Rationale:
Before heating, the can was filled with water and air. By boiling the water, it changes states, from liquid to gas (water vapor). The water vapor (steam) pushes the air that was inside, out of the can. By inverting the can in water, we are cooling the vapor very quickly and constraining the potential for rapid flow of air back into the can. The cooling condenses the water vapor back to water. All of the vapor which took up the interior space of the can before is now turned into a few drops of water, which take up much less space. This causes the pressure to drop and the atmospheric pressure is therefore pushing on the can and crushing it.
The total force working on the outside of the can is the total of the can's surface area in cm. multiplied by 1 kg.
Application:
Production of vacuum containers
Home canning
2.
Subject Area: General Science
Grade: Middle School
Title:MAGIC LID
Objective: To show students that atmospheric pressure is not just a downward force, but is a force acting in all directions.
Materials:
1-one gallon jar
1-glass dish large enough to cover mouth of jar
Procedure: Fill jar completly full, so the meiniscus stands high. Place glass plate on top of the jar. making sure that no air is trapped between jar and glass plate. Then quickly turn the jar upside down. It may take a couple of times to get this right, so this should be done over a sink area.
Questions:
What will happen to the plate? Will it fall or stay in place?
What causes the plate to stick to the jar?
What conclusions can one draw from this?
Is atmospheric pressure greater than water pressure?
How tall would a cup have to be in order for the water pressure inside to overcome the atmospheric pressure outside?
Rationale: This is an application of atmospheric pressure. Most students think that atmospheric pressure and the force of gravity have only a downward effect, the latter is true, but atmospheric pressure exerts force in all directions. This is what allows the plate to stay attached to the jar.
3.
Title: B Squared (Burning Balloons)
Source: Robert Ruisinger
Grade: 7-12 (chemistry)
Materials: One balloon filled with water, one balloon filled with air to an equal volume, and matches.
Procedure: Hold the lit match to the balloon filled with air and it will pop immediately. Next, hold the lit match to the water balloon and notice that it will not pop. It is advisable not to hold the match in one place for too long, because it may eventually pop! You may want to one before the other one, depending on your application.
Concept: The air balloon explodes immediately because the heat from the lit match quickly burns through the rubber wall. The water balloon, does not explode because the water inside absorbs the heat and disperses it throughout the volume of water. It does not let the rubber wall get to it's melting point. You can tie this demo into a lesson on heat capacities, melting points, heat absorption, conduction, etc. . Credits: South Windsor High School, South Windsor, CT 06074
4.
Source:Toni Orso
Subject Area: General Science
Grade:(7-12)
Concepts Covered by Demonstration: Scientific Method
Title: The Black Whole
Materials:
A coffee can which is specially constructed (a slanted metal piece attached on the inside to keep water in.
A glass of water
Procedure:
Hold the coffee can above the observers to ensure that they can not view what is inside.
Pour a glass of water directly into the coffee can. Note: do not let observers see inside to coffee can.
Tip the can over on the side which will allow no water to spill out of the coffee can.
Questions:
Describe exactly what you observed.
Based on your observations, describe or draw what might be in the coffee can.
Are you making an educated guess about what occurred?
What is the scientific word for making and educated guess?
How might you collect further information to support your educated guess?
Write down some examples in which scientist have made educated guess about natural events that occur to try to explain what is happening in the world.
Rationale: This demonstration is an excellent way to introduce the Scientific Method because it deals with observing and recording those observations. Furthermore, the students can make an educated guess (hypothesis) about what might be occurring.
Students can also be introduced to the idea that in science there are many wonders that scientist can not fully explain. Scientist can only make observations and try to collect as much information as possible and based on the knowledge they gain from these observations they can hypothesize about what is happening. For example, scientist did not actually see the dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic Period; However, they can predict because of the evidence that was left behind in the fossil record.
It is important to inform the students that even though their educated guess about what was inside the coffee can was correct, that they would have to do millions of test to state that it was because in order for a hypothesis to become a fact or theory an enormous amount of data must be collected to support the hypothesis and millions of tests must have taken place.
Demo Idea
Title: Diving Ketchup
Source: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000090
Target Age: Elementary and Middle School aged students
Materials Required:
2. Scrunch the packet in half lengthwise and carefully push it into the soda bottle. Fill the bottle full to the brim with water and screw on the cap. Squeeze the sides of the bottle and hold the squeeze to make the packet sink. Let go and it rises.
Materials Required:
- Plastic soda bottle (1-liter size works great)
- Ketchup packets from a restaurant
- Tall drinking glass
- Soda bottle cap
- Water
Demo Time Required: 10 minutes (or however long you want to perform the experiment!)
Description:
Description:
1. First, you'll need to perform a œfloat or sink test to see how the ketchup packet works. Fill the bowl with water and drop the packet into it. If it floats, great! If it sinks to the bottom, no sweat. This shows that atmospheric pressure in the packet is pressing hard enough on the air bubble inside the packet to sink it. If this happens, you get to make more trips to your favorite fast-food restaurant to find a ketchup packet that just barely floats!
2. Scrunch the packet in half lengthwise and carefully push it into the soda bottle. Fill the bottle full to the brim with water and screw on the cap. Squeeze the sides of the bottle and hold the squeeze to make the packet sink. Let go and it rises.
Demo Idea
Title: Outrageous Ooze
Materials Required: 
-newspaper
-measuring cups
-1 cup of dry cornstarch
-large bowl or pan
-food coloring (if you want)
-1/2 cup of water
-newspaper
-measuring cups
-1 cup of dry cornstarch
-large bowl or pan
-food coloring (if you want)
-1/2 cup of water
Prep Time Required: 10 minutes to prepare ooze
Demo Time Required: 5 minutes to explain and 5 minutes to play, or as long as kids want to play with their ooze for
Description (Preparing the Ooze):
1. Put newspaper down on your counter or table top.
2. Put the cornstarch into the bowl. Add a drop or two of food coloring. (Use whatever colors you like.) Add water slowly, mixing the cornstarch and water with your fingers until all the powder is wet.
3. Keep adding water until the Ooze feels like a liquid when you're mixing it slowly. Then try tapping on the surface with your finger or a spoon. When Ooze is just right, it won't splash--it will feel solid. If you Ooze is too powdery, add a little more water. If it's too wet, add more cornstarch.
2. Put the cornstarch into the bowl. Add a drop or two of food coloring. (Use whatever colors you like.) Add water slowly, mixing the cornstarch and water with your fingers until all the powder is wet.
3. Keep adding water until the Ooze feels like a liquid when you're mixing it slowly. Then try tapping on the surface with your finger or a spoon. When Ooze is just right, it won't splash--it will feel solid. If you Ooze is too powdery, add a little more water. If it's too wet, add more cornstarch.
Description (What's Going On):
Ooze is made up of tiny, solid particles of cornstarch suspended in water. Chemists call this type of mixture a colloid.
As you found out when you experimented with Ooze, this colloid behaves strangely. When you bang on it with a spoon or quickly squeeze a handful of Ooze, it freezes in place, acting like a solid. The harder you push, the thicker the Ooze becomes. But when you open your hand and let your Ooze ooze, it drips like a liquid. Try to stir the Ooze quickly with a finger, and it will resist your movement. Stir it slowly, and it will flow around your finger easily.
Your finger is applying what a physicist would call a sideways shearing force to the water. In response, the water shears, or moves out of the way. The behavior of Ooze relates to its viscosity, or resistance to flow. Water's viscosity doesn't change when you apply a shearing force--but the viscosity of your Ooze does.
Back in the 1700s, Isaac Newton identified the properties of an ideal liquid. Water and other liquids that have the properties that Newton identifies are call Newtonian fluids. Ooze doesn't act like Newton's ideal fluid. It's a non-Newtonian fluid.
There are many non-Newtonian fluids around. They don't all behave like Ooze, but each one is weird in its own way. Ketchup, for example, is a non-Newtonian fluid. (The scientific term for this type of non-Newtonian fluid is thixotropic. That comes from the Greek words thixis, which means "the act of handling" and trope, meaning "change".)
Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid that acts more like your Ooze--it gets more viscous when you apply a shearing force. If you ever find yourself sinking in a pool of quicksand (or a vat of cornstarch and water), try swimming toward the shore very slowly. The slower you move, the less the quicksand or cornstarch will resist your movement.
As you found out when you experimented with Ooze, this colloid behaves strangely. When you bang on it with a spoon or quickly squeeze a handful of Ooze, it freezes in place, acting like a solid. The harder you push, the thicker the Ooze becomes. But when you open your hand and let your Ooze ooze, it drips like a liquid. Try to stir the Ooze quickly with a finger, and it will resist your movement. Stir it slowly, and it will flow around your finger easily.
Your finger is applying what a physicist would call a sideways shearing force to the water. In response, the water shears, or moves out of the way. The behavior of Ooze relates to its viscosity, or resistance to flow. Water's viscosity doesn't change when you apply a shearing force--but the viscosity of your Ooze does.
Back in the 1700s, Isaac Newton identified the properties of an ideal liquid. Water and other liquids that have the properties that Newton identifies are call Newtonian fluids. Ooze doesn't act like Newton's ideal fluid. It's a non-Newtonian fluid.
There are many non-Newtonian fluids around. They don't all behave like Ooze, but each one is weird in its own way. Ketchup, for example, is a non-Newtonian fluid. (The scientific term for this type of non-Newtonian fluid is thixotropic. That comes from the Greek words thixis, which means "the act of handling" and trope, meaning "change".)
Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid that acts more like your Ooze--it gets more viscous when you apply a shearing force. If you ever find yourself sinking in a pool of quicksand (or a vat of cornstarch and water), try swimming toward the shore very slowly. The slower you move, the less the quicksand or cornstarch will resist your movement.
*I copied the directions and explanations directly from the website so for more details check out the website listed under sources.
Demo Ideas
Title: Chinese Spouting Bowl
Source:Educational Innovations
Target Age:All who are interested by what appears to be magic! (Young and Old!)
Materials Required: (1) Chinese Spouting Bowl ($179.95), (1) Spouting Bowl Pad ($14.95), Isopropyl Alcohol, Soap and Water
Prep Time Required: About five minutes to get everything ready to work.
Demo Time Required: The reaction happens very quickly. The more practice you have with the bowl the better you will be able to create the desired reaction.
Description: What you do is put the brass bowl onto a damp towel or Spouting Bowl Pad (something that will prevent it from slipping but allow it to still vibrate). Then after you wash your hands thoroughly to rid them of any and all oils, and after you have cleaned the bowl with isopropyl alcohol, you fill it up half way with clean water.
Then you dip your palms into the bowl to get them wet.
You place your hands on the handles of the bowl and rub them back and forth, from finger tips to the bottom of your palm.
Soon the vibrations will build so much that the water reacts by shooting out of the bowl, up to 20 inches!
More pictures and a more accurate description can be found here.
Source:Educational Innovations
Target Age:All who are interested by what appears to be magic! (Young and Old!)
Materials Required: (1) Chinese Spouting Bowl ($179.95), (1) Spouting Bowl Pad ($14.95), Isopropyl Alcohol, Soap and Water
Prep Time Required: About five minutes to get everything ready to work.
Demo Time Required: The reaction happens very quickly. The more practice you have with the bowl the better you will be able to create the desired reaction.
Description: What you do is put the brass bowl onto a damp towel or Spouting Bowl Pad (something that will prevent it from slipping but allow it to still vibrate). Then after you wash your hands thoroughly to rid them of any and all oils, and after you have cleaned the bowl with isopropyl alcohol, you fill it up half way with clean water.
Then you dip your palms into the bowl to get them wet.
You place your hands on the handles of the bowl and rub them back and forth, from finger tips to the bottom of your palm.
Soon the vibrations will build so much that the water reacts by shooting out of the bowl, up to 20 inches!
More pictures and a more accurate description can be found here.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Demo Idea: Clear Spheres!
Title:
Clear Spheres aka Jelly Marbles aka Water balls
Source:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/clear-spheres-kit
Target Age:
Kindergarten and up (while they can be enjoyed at any age, they might be dangerous to really young kids)
Materials Required:
flasks, water, clear sphere pellets, big bin with water, clear glass brownie pan, paper w/ MAS logo
Prep Time Required:
Need at least 3 hours in advance to let the balls grow
Demo Time Required:
the demo itself will probably take about 5 minutes with the reveal and explanation, but the people we are showing them to should be given ample time to play with them :o)
Description:
We have 2 identical flasks, one with plain water, one filled with water and water balls. We ask the viewers of our demo if they notice anything about either flask. We have a volunteer first stick his hand into the flask with just water, and then have them stick their hand in the flask with the water balls in them and be surprised. We explain that the water balls are made of this special polymer, or chain of molecules, that are super-absorbent. We show them a dry pellet, and a fully-grown water ball and tell them that the pellets absorb water up to 300x it's original size. We also say that they look invisible in water because they refract the same amount of light as water does, which means that our eye perceives these water balls to look the same as water does. We show them the clear glass brownie pan that has nothing but water balls in it. The brownie pan is sitting on top of a picture of the MAS logo, which looks jumbled. We ask a volunteer to pour water in and the crowd to unscramble the message. See the video below for more experiment ideas!
Clear Spheres aka Jelly Marbles aka Water balls
Source:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/clear-spheres-kit
Target Age:
Kindergarten and up (while they can be enjoyed at any age, they might be dangerous to really young kids)
Materials Required:
flasks, water, clear sphere pellets, big bin with water, clear glass brownie pan, paper w/ MAS logo
Prep Time Required:
Need at least 3 hours in advance to let the balls grow
Demo Time Required:
the demo itself will probably take about 5 minutes with the reveal and explanation, but the people we are showing them to should be given ample time to play with them :o)
Description:
We have 2 identical flasks, one with plain water, one filled with water and water balls. We ask the viewers of our demo if they notice anything about either flask. We have a volunteer first stick his hand into the flask with just water, and then have them stick their hand in the flask with the water balls in them and be surprised. We explain that the water balls are made of this special polymer, or chain of molecules, that are super-absorbent. We show them a dry pellet, and a fully-grown water ball and tell them that the pellets absorb water up to 300x it's original size. We also say that they look invisible in water because they refract the same amount of light as water does, which means that our eye perceives these water balls to look the same as water does. We show them the clear glass brownie pan that has nothing but water balls in it. The brownie pan is sitting on top of a picture of the MAS logo, which looks jumbled. We ask a volunteer to pour water in and the crowd to unscramble the message. See the video below for more experiment ideas!
Assignment for Wednesday!
Hello again everyone!
For reading, please read Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, Chapter 5 about Blogging. Please do this for class Wednesday so we can have a discussion! (w00t)
The link is to your right on the blog sidebar, under Internship Reading Material. When you click on the link and get to the actual website, you have to scroll down a little bit on the page that it takes you to. The reading is in the gray box on the left/centerish on the page....ugh, know what? I'll just post a picture...
Please note the spastic arrows. Double click for a closer look.
Here is the blog assignment due before Wednesday's class. Please have it posted to the blog by 9:00AM!
On Wednesday, I'm going to be doing a simulation of a typical school visit. I'll show you some of our tried-and-true demos that have been a hit so far with the youngins. Your task is to do a little background research and post a cool demo or experiment that you've found!
Some places you might want to check out:
Educational Innovations
Steve Spangler Science
Here is a format to post, to make your life a little easier...and if there is a video or pictures, post that too!
Title:
Source:
Target Age:
Materials Required:
Prep Time Required:
Demo Time Required:
Description:
+any pictures or videos
Use the label Demo Ideas for this assignment!
I'll post an example for this above!
See you Weds!
~Sara
For reading, please read Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, Chapter 5 about Blogging. Please do this for class Wednesday so we can have a discussion! (w00t)
The link is to your right on the blog sidebar, under Internship Reading Material. When you click on the link and get to the actual website, you have to scroll down a little bit on the page that it takes you to. The reading is in the gray box on the left/centerish on the page....ugh, know what? I'll just post a picture...
Please note the spastic arrows. Double click for a closer look.Here is the blog assignment due before Wednesday's class. Please have it posted to the blog by 9:00AM!
On Wednesday, I'm going to be doing a simulation of a typical school visit. I'll show you some of our tried-and-true demos that have been a hit so far with the youngins. Your task is to do a little background research and post a cool demo or experiment that you've found!
Some places you might want to check out:
Educational Innovations
Steve Spangler Science
Here is a format to post, to make your life a little easier...and if there is a video or pictures, post that too!
Title:
Source:
Target Age:
Materials Required:
Prep Time Required:
Demo Time Required:
Description:
+any pictures or videos
Use the label Demo Ideas for this assignment!
I'll post an example for this above!
See you Weds!
~Sara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
