Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Fall 2009
Table of Contents
Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum
Framework: Physical Sciences Learning Standards--Grades 3-5
Differentiation between properties of objects (e.g. size, shape, and weight) and
properties of materials (e.g. color, texture, hardness):
Density
Cauldron Bubbles
Making a Lava Lamp
Making a Flinker
Polishing Pennies
Floating Eggs
Compare and contrast solids, liquids, and gases based on the basic properties
of these states of matter:
Balloon Bottle Blow-Up
Can you blow up a balloon with a lemon?
The Rising Hand
The Great Pepper Dispersion
Cloud Dough
Splitting Water
Pouring Water Sideways
Surface Tension
Lifting an Ice Cube
That Which Doth Not Mix
Sink a Dime
Air Takes Up Space
Gravity Free Water
Under Pressure?
Capillary Action
Air Currents: Heat Rises
Air Pressure
Candles and Air Pressure
Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall
Oobleck
Cornstarch, Water, and Oobleck
Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher
Shrinking Water Bottle
Identify the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, electrical, and magnetic).
Recognize that energy is the ability to cause motion or create change:
Friction
Sliding vs. Rolling Friction
Give examples of how energy can be transferred from one form to another:
Burning Money
Rubber Band Car
Identify and classify objects and materials that conduct electricity and objects
and materials that are insulators of electricity:
Laws of Attraction
Electrified Dice
Bending Water
Fun with Static Electricity
Charge for Cheerios
Recognize that magnets have poles that repel and attract each other:
Magical Magnetism
Make an Electromagnet
Floating Paper Clip
Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels
from one medium to another, and that light can be reflected, refracted, and
absorbed:
Sky in a Jar
Making a Rainbow
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Density
Materials
Procedure
Pour 1/8 cup of corn syrup into the clear plastic cup.
Cauldron Bubbles
Materials:
cup water
cup olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt (NaCl)
1 tall, clear glass or plastic bowl
Teaspoon
Procedure
Fill the glass halfway with water.
Add about an inch of oil in the glass.
Let all of the oil settle out on top of the water.
Add some salt in the glass using a teaspoon. Notice what
happens to the salt and the oil.
Wait until some of the salt on the bottom dissolves and
see what happens.
See if you can make cauldron bubbles with other
substances like sugar or sand.
Lava Lamp
Materials
Procedure
Take a tall drinking glass and fill it about 2/3 with water.
Pour vegetable oil into the cup until the oil is 1 cm thick.
Fill a table spoon with salt.
Sprinkle the salt into the cup.
What do you see?
Scientific explanation
Density is the measurement of mass and volume. When a
water (higher density) is mixed with oil (lower density), the oil
floats on top. Salt has a density that is higher than either oil or
water, so when salt is added, sinks to the bottom of the glass,
carrying some oil with it. As the salt begins to dissolve in the
water, the oil is released and floats back up to the top of the
glass.
The oil and water didnt mix because they have different
polarities. Water has a charge (like a magnet) that attracts other
substances. Oil on the other hand does not have a charge. That
is why when going through water oil looks like little bubbles but
doesnt mix with the water.
Making a Flinker
Materials
styrofoam peanuts
paperclips of various sizes
a container of water
Procedure
Work in pairs
Obtain a few Styrofoam peanuts and paper clips
Fill a container with water
Now drop one paper clip and one Styrofoam peanut into the
container
Which object floats and which object sinks?
Flinker:
A flinker is an object that does not float or sink; it is
suspended midway in the body of water.
(Hint*) you can combine the paper clips with a foam peanut by
unraveling the paper clips and puncturing the peanut.
(Hint*) you may need to squeeze your Styrofoam peanut
occasionally because when it gets extremely soaked through it
works much worse.
Polishing Pennies
Materials:
Dishwashing detergent
Lemon juice
Cola
Distilled water
A large glass
Procedure
Pour 1 cup of water into the measuring cup and pour it into the
tall glass.
Stir the water and detergent in the glass with the plastic spoon.
Let the pennies sit in the liquids for five minutes. What changes in
the cups do you notice?
After the five minutes, remove each penny from the cups with the
plastic spoon, placing each coin on the work surface. Clean the
spoon after each removal.
Dry the pennies with a paper towel and note any removable
substances.
Pour the vinegar, lemon juice, water, cola, and detergent down a
sink drain.
Scientific Explanation
The pennies are made from copper, which reacts with the air to form a
thin oxide coating. This is because copper atoms are positive, and the oxygen
atoms in the air possess negative properties. Like magnets, the positive and
negative charges attract each other to form new compounds. The acids in the
cola, lemon juice, and vinegar remove the oxides, but the detergent and water
do not react with the penny surfaces. This explains the occurrence of the
substance that was removed from the penny in the vinegar with the paper
towel.
Floating Eggs
Materials
1 raw egg
1 beaker
1 teaspoon
Bag of salt
Balance (triple beam or electronic)
Procedure
Take the mass of the beaker.
Fill the beaker about halfway and record the amount of water
inside (the volume).
Take the mass of the beaker with the water in it.
Calculate the mass of the water by subtracting the mass of
the beaker from the mass of the beaker with water.
Take the mass of the egg.
Tilt the beaker and gently slide the egg in. Dont let the water
splash out!
Record how much water the egg displaced. This is the volume
of the egg.
Add one teaspoon of salt at a time to the water. Record
results after adding every spoon of salt. How many teaspoons
of salt does it take before the egg starts floating?
Take the egg out of the water using the spoon. (Try not to
remove any water)
Take the mass of the beaker and salt water.
Calculate the mass of the salt water by subtracting the mass
of the beaker from the mass of the beaker with salt water.
Calculate the density of the water, egg, and salt water.
Density is calculated with the formula mass/volume. Compare the
densities.
Materials
1 Balloon
About 40 mL of water
1 20 oz. soda bottle
Drinking straw
Vinegar
About 1 teaspoon of baking soda
Procedure
Stretch out the balloon before beginning so that it will be
easier to blow up the balloon.
Pour the water and the baking soda into the soda bottle and
stir the mixture with the drinking straw.
Pour in the vinegar, and quickly stretch the balloon over the
mouth of the bottle.
Start shaking the bottle right after the balloon is stretched
over the bottle.
Make sure to time how long it takes for the balloon to blow
up.
Repeat the entire process again, but do not shake the bottle
and time how long it takes for the balloon to blow up now.
Materials
1 lemon cut into two halves
A measuring cup
A balloon
An empty soda or water bottle
1 oz. of water (30 mL)
A teaspoon (5 mL)
Baking soda
Procedure
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze as much lemon juice
possible from both halves into the beaker or small
container.
Materials
Procedure
Fill the jar with three tablespoons of white vinegar.
Take out one glove from the box and pour two tea
spoons of baking soda inside.
Wrap the base of the glove over the mouth of the jar,
making sure that no baking soda falls in just yet.
When you are ready, take the attached glove and put it
inside the jar. What happens?
Materials:
1 shallow bowl
About 3 cups of room temperature water
Pepper
1 teaspoon of hand soap
Procedure:
Pour the water into the shallow bowl so that there is a
liquid layer at least 1 inch deep.
Sprinkle pepper over the surface of the water so that is
covers the surface evenly.
Pour the hand soap into the center of the bowl.
Observe the movement of the pepper to the outer rim of
the bowl.
Cloud Dough
Materials
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon powdered Tempera
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
A medium size mixing bowl
A measuring cup
A tablespoon
Optional: Food Coloring
Procedure
Pour the flour and vegetable oil into the bowl
Mix the flour with the oil (and color if desired)
Add directed amount of powdered tempera and mix well
Slowly add water and simultaneously knead the mixture
well
If necessary, add more water in small amounts
Continue kneading the mixture until the dough is soft
and elastic
Store dough in a refrigerator (in a covered container) if it
needs to be preserved
Splitting Water
Materials
A 9 volt battery
Two regular number 2 pencils
(remove eraser and metal part
on the ends)
Salt (1 teaspoon)
Thin cardboard
Electrical wire
Small glass (about 1 cup size)
Water (about cup)
Tape
Procedure
Remove eraser and metal parts from the ends of each
pencil. Sharpen each pencil at both ends.
Cut the cardboard to fit over glass.
Push the two pencils into the cardboard, about an inch
apart.
Dissolve about a teaspoon of salt into the warm water by
stirring and let sit for 3 minutes.
Using one piece of the electrical wire, connect one end on
the positive side of the battery and the other to the black
graphite (the "lead" of the pencil) at the top of the
sharpened pencil by wrapping it around. Do the same for
the negative side connecting it to the second pencil top. It
is helpful to use tape to help secure the wire to the
Procedure
Surface Tension
Materials
1 penny
1 eyedropper / pipette
1 foam cup
Concentrated dish soap
spoon
paper towels
tap water
Procedure
Materials
Plastic Cup
Water
Table salt (NaCl)
A piece of string (about one ft. long)
Procedure
Fill your cup about full with cold tap water.
Stir until the salt dissolves.
Place the middle of the string over the ice cube. Press the
string onto the ice cube so that the string stays on top of
the ice cube.
Pour enough salt onto the point where the string touches
the ice cube so that the string is covered in a coat of salt
(about three pinches)
Wait about 20 seconds.
Lift the string. What happens?
Materials
Plastic cup
Olive Oil
Cold water
Procedure
Pour the olive oil into the plastic cup so that the cup is
nearly half filled.
Pour the cold water on top of the olive oil until it almost
reaches the top of the cup.
Swirl the cup in a circular way and let it sit for ten minutes.
Empty the plastic cup into the drain of a sink and throw
out the cup.
What do you observe? Do the two liquids mix? What
happens as the two liquids are left to sit?
Sink-a-Dime
Materials:
Two identical drinking glasses
One dime
Large tub filled with big enough water to submerge both glass
cups on their sides at the same time
Towel (for any spills)
Procedure:
Fill the large tub with water
Submerge both glass cups in the tub
Press the rims of the cups together
While keeping the rims together, take out the glasses and set
them the towel, with one glass resting freely on top of the
other
Gently tap the top cup to slide it off of the bottom cup until
there is a space big enough to slide the dime into the bottom
cup
Insert the dime into the bottom cup
Scientific Explanation
The water in the top glass didnt spill out all over the table because
water has a certain property called surface tension. Surface
Tension is the name given to the cohesion between molecules of a
liquid at its surface. Cohesion is the attraction of molecules of a
liquid to other molecules of the same liquid. The molecules in a
volume of water pull on the other molecules of water closest to
them, keeping them grouped together. The molecules on the
surface pull on each other, creating something like a sac that keeps
all of the molecules together. The bond angle, angle at which atoms
are bonded together in a molecule, of water is special and creates
strong cohesion between water molecules. It also creates strong
surface tension. It is strong enough to hold all the water in the glass
cup without it spilling out.
There are many other experiments demonstrating surface tension.
One of them includes counting the drops of water that may be
dropped on the top of a coin before the water spills over.
Materials
paper towels
1 medium sized clear plastic bowl/container
1 tissue
1 clear glass
1 ping pong ball
Procedure
Fill the clear plastic container/bowl almost to the brim with
water.
Place the ping pong ball into the clear glass.
Overturn the glass with the ping pong ball in side of it onto the
water.
Press the glass downwards a few inches. What do you notice
about the ping pong ball? What do you think is inside the glass?
Remove the glass and ping pong ball from the container.
Dry the glass thoroughly with a paper towel.
Crumple up the tissue and put it into the bottom of the glass so
it stays.
Overturn the glass into the water-filled container.
Press the glass downwards a few inches into the water, making
sure that the tissue is still lodged within the glass.
Remove the glass from the water, and keep it turned over as
you dry the outside of the glass with a paper towel.
Carefully take out the tissue. What do you notice about it?
What does this tell you about what was inside the submerged
glass?
Gravity-free Water
Materials
1
1
1
1
glass cup
sink
index card (4 x6 )
shallow, clear glass or plastic bowl (not metal)
Procedure
1. Place the index card on top of the cup and flip it upside down.
2. What happens to the index card when it is flipped?
3. Filled the cup with water so that the water is at the brim. This
should be done at a sink because the water can spill while it is
being filled.
4. Place the index card over the top of the cup.
5. Press down on the card so it is touching the water in every part
of the index card.
Under Pressure?
Materials
1 plastic 1 liter soda bottle
1 fun size snickers candy bar in wrapper
About 1 liter of non-carbonated water
Procedure
Remove the label and top of the bottle
Fill the bottle with water until it reaches the top of the bottle.
Push the snickers bar through the opening of the bottle. This
will be a tight fit, but it is possible.
Tightly screw the bottle cap on.
Squeeze the sides of the bottle.
Capillary Action
Materials
Procedure
Fill one plastic cup with 8 ounces of cold water. Place an
empty cup inch away.
Fill another cup with 8 ounces of hot water. Place the other
empty cup inch away.
Roll each paper towel sheet separately into rope-like wicks.
Place one end of a rolled paper towel into the cold water and
the other end into the empty cup.
Place one end of the other rolled paper towel into the hot
water and the other end into the second empty cup.
Time the two cups to see which transfers water into the
empty cup the fastest. What did you notice?
Materials
votive candle
matches
tall plastic cylinder (one open end)
Procedure
Set a votive candle on a flat table top and light it.
Place a clear plastic tube with a small hole in the top over the
candle and wait 15 seconds. Notice how the flame has gotten
smaller.
Lift the tube a little so that one side of the bottom is still
touching the table. Notice how the flame grows.
Air Pressure
Materials
1 potato
2 straws
Procedure
Take the straw and make sure that the top hole that will not
be injected into the potato is not covered.
Insert the other end of the straw into the potato. Can it be
inserted into the potato?
Remove the first straw from the potato and take the second
straw. Take the second straw and this time make sure that
the top is covered.
Inject this straw into the potato. Can this straw go through
the surface of the potato?
Remove this straw from the potato.
Pan
Water
3 birthday candles
Aluminum foil
Clear glass cup
Matches
Procedure
Fill pan with just enough water to cover the bottom.
Mold aluminum foil holder for candle.
Place candle and holder in the pan with the water.
Light the candle.
Place glass upside down over candle.
Observe the changing water levels within the glass.
Once water is absorbed measure height of water within the
glass.
Repeat step 2-7 twice adding an additional candle each time.
outside the cup can then push the water up. The dying candle flame
is also responsible because it cools the air. Hot air expands and cold
air contracts. If the air contracts, there will be more space in the
cup that the water can consequently fill.
1 hard-boiled egg
small piece of scrap paper
matches
glass milk bottle
Procedure
Peel the egg.
Light a small piece of paper with a match and drop the paper
into the milk bottle.
Place the peeled egg on top of the bottle and watch what
happens.
Oobleck
Materials
1 sheet of newspaper
1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag
1/4 cup water
1 plastic spoon
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 magnifying glass (optional)
Procedure
Spread the newspaper out so that you dont make a mess!
Take the 1/3 cup of cornstarch and put it into the Ziploc bag
Now add the 1/4 cup of water and add it to the Ziploc bag
Take the spoon and mix the cornstarch-water mixture until it
becomes gooey.
Close the Ziploc bag.
Take your fist and punch the Ziploc bag with the solution.
Dont hurt yourself! Use a magnifying glasswhat do you see?
Is this a solid or a liquid?
Take your finger and jab it (without hurting yourself!) into the
solution. What do you see (use a magnifying glass)? Is this a
solid or a liquid?
Take your finger and dip it slowly into the Ziploc bag solution.
What do you see (use a magnifying glass)? Is this a solid or a
liquid?
Oobleck
Materials
1 cups cornstarch
1 cup warm water
Shallow Plastic container
Procedure
To create the oobleck, mix the cornstarch and the warm
water, in the plastic container, until all the cornstarch has
dissolved in the water.
Punch the oobleck and record what happens. Does your fist
sink into the oobleck at all?
Next, put your hand on top of the oobleck and allow it to sink
in, then try to take your hand out of the oobleck quickly. Why
do you think you are able to sink into it this time?
Using your finger, cut a line in the oobleck. Look through a
magnifying glass as the oobleck re-forms itself.
What did the oobleck look like when you initially cut it?
How did that shape change as the oobleck returned to its
previous shape?
Roll the oobleck into a ball. Can you make it into a round
shape?
Hold the ball in your hands for a little while. What happens to
the shape?
materials
Procedure
Materials:
Procedure:
Pour the 3 tbsp of baking soda into the bottom of the bowl.
Shake the bowl in a clockwise motion to evenly distribute the
baking soda across the bottom.
Place the two candles, wick side up into the bowl as close to
the center as possible.
Materials
Procedure
Heat up the half-cup of water until it reaches a temperature
of 152 degrees Fahrenheit (67 degrees Celsius), so that the
water starts to steam. Be careful when handling the hot
water; you may need an adult to help you.
Allow the water to cool if it is too hot to handle, and then
pour it into the empty bottle.
Allow steam to collect in the bottle for 10 seconds.
Unscrew the cap for a couple of seconds to let out the steam,
and then quickly replace the cap.
Allow the water inside the bottle to cool for ten minutes.
Friction !
Materials
2 large telephone books such as Yellowbooks
Procedure
Work in pairs.
Put the Yellowbooks next to each other.
Layer the pages of one Yellowbook into the second
Yellowbook one page apart.
Continue layering as many pages as possible (200 pages would
be enough to overcome the pulling power of 2 children).
Lift the Yellowbooks and try to pull them apart.
Did the Yellowbooks give in?
does not allow the books to be pulled apart. The more pages are
interlocked, the greater the area of contact between the
Yellowbooks. If all the pages were put on top of each other one
page apart, it would take over 8000 lb of force to pull them apart,
which is equal to 2 tanks pulling with full force. If only a couple of
pages were put together, friction would be much less, allowing the
pages to be pulled apart.
Procedure
Gather the materials for the experiment (small reading book,
string, duck tape, scissors, spring force scale, pencil, paper, 8
thick markers and ruler) on a table.
Make a chart on the piece of paper with the pencil. Make two
columns with Sliding as one title and Rolling as another
title. Each column should have two rows (title -> data).
Lay book face down on the table.
Measure a 4 inch piece of string with a ruler and then cut the
piece of string with scissors.
Measure a 1 inch piece of duck tape with a ruler and then cut
the piece of tape off with scissors.
Tape 4 inch piece of string to the book so the edge of the
string is a half of an inch away from the edge of the book.
Burning Money
WARNING: Burning U.S. currency is against the law. The bills used in this experiment should not sustain damage if the procedure is done
correctly, but proceed at your own risk.
Materials
Procedure
(Note that this is made for teachers to give as a demonstration; it is
not safe for students to conduct)
Prepare a solution of 50% isopropyl alcohol and 50% water,
keeping in mind that the alcohol from the bottle is likely to be
partially diluted with water already. You will only need enough
Materials
Corrugated cardboard
4 CDs
4 inch washers
2 wooden skewers
Poster putty
Rubber band
Scissors
Ruler
Procedure
Cut a five inch by six inch rectangle from the cardboard.
Cut a notch 2 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches deep in one of the 5
inch sides of the foam board rectangle. This notched end will
be the front of the rubber band car.
Laws of Attraction
Materials
A plastic comb or ruler
A faucet with running water
A test subject with hair (it can be yourself!)
Procedure
First, go to a sink and turn the cold knob until a slow and
steady stream of water is pouring out.
Then, take the plastic ruler and run it through your hair
twenty to thirty times
Now, making sure not to touch the ruler to anything, slowly
move the edge of the ruler, which is farthest from your hand,
towards the running water that is near the bottom of the sink.
Watch as the water starts to bend toward the ruler! Why do
you think that works?
Electrified Dice
Materials
Glass sheet, about 8 inches by 10 inches
Two thick books
Five foam cubes, the size of dice
Felt-tip pen or permanent marker
Piece of wool
Procedure
Place two books on the table, about 8 inches apart
Place the glass sheet between the pages of the book so that it
is about 1in above the table
Draw dots on the foam cubes using a felt tip pen or permanent
marker in order to make them look like dice
Place the dice underneath the glass
Rub a piece of wool back and forth on the surface of the glass
Notice the movement of the dice even after you stop rubbing
the glass
Bending Water
Materials
Latex balloon
Faucet with running tap water
Stop watch or a clock with the seconds hand
A volunteer with long hair
Procedure
Blow up the latex balloon
Using a volunteer from class, rub the balloon in his/her hair for
about 45 seconds. Make sure the balloon doesnt touch
anything except the hand it is held in
Turn on a faucet so tap water is running in a thin stream
Bring the side of the balloon that was rubbed in hair close to
the water and watch as the water bends towards the balloon
Does the water bend more if the balloon is closer or farther
away from the water? What if the stream of water is thicker?
What if the balloon was never rubbed in hair?
Materials
1 tissue
1 Piece of printer paper
a pair of scissors
a ruler
any one of the following materials: cotton cloth, wool cloth,
nylon cloth, animal fur, human hair
a clock/watch/timer
Procedure
Cut 3 squares out of the tissue. One .5 by .5 inch, one 1 by 1
inch, and one 2 by 2 inch.
Now, cut 3 square of the same size out of the piece of printer
paper.
Place the squares onto a dry surface. Make sure that they are
at least one inch apart.
Rub the comb against the cloth/fur/hair for 10 seconds.
Immediately touch the comb to the .5 by .5 inch tissue square
and lift the comb into the air. Record how many seconds that
the tissue remains in the air.
Rub the comb against the cloth/fur/hair for another 10
seconds.
Now, touch the comb to the 1 by 1 inch tissue and lift the
comb. Record how many seconds that the tissue remains in the
air.
Repeat this process with the 2 by 2 inch tissue square and the
various sized printer paper squares.
What effects did the size and type of paper have on the time
that the paper squares remained in the air?
The Scientific Explanation
All objects are made up of tiny particles called atoms. In each atom,
there are even smaller particles called protons and electron. Atoms
of different objects can exchange electrons, which causes a change
in the balance of protons and electrons. An object that has more
protons than electrons has a positive charge, and an object that has
more electrons than neutrons has a negative charge, and n object
that has an equal number of protons and electrons it has a no
charge and is called neutral. Objects with like charges repel each
other, objects with opposite charges repel each other, and an
object with any charge will attract an object with no charge
(neutral). In this experiment, the comb was given a charge when it
was rubbed with another material (whether it was positive or
negative depends on the material that the comb was rubbed
against). When the comb was charged, it is said to have static (not
moving) electricity because the comb had electricity from the
charging, but the electricity was not allowed to flow because the
comb is an insulator (an object that does not allow the flow of
electricity). Because the comb was charged and the paper was
neutral, the comb was able to pick up the paper through electrical
attraction.
Materials
scissors
thread
10-20 Cheerios or other doughnut-shaped cereal
balloon
sweater
tape
Procedure
Measure and cut a twelve-inch piece of thread and tie one
end of it through a piece of cereal.
Tape the other end of the string to a table so that it does not
hang near any other objects
Blow up a balloon and rub it against a sweater for one or two
minutes to produce static electricity around the balloon.
Lift the balloon and slowly move it towards the piece of cereal
that is hanging off the side of the table. Watch the piece of
cereal. Does it move towards the balloon?
Hold the balloon in place until the piece of cereal moves away
from the balloon on its own.
Move the balloon near t he piece of cereal once again and
observe the piece of cereal. It moves away from the balloon
this time, right?
Magical Magnetism
Materials
60-70 paperclips
1 bar magnet
1 horseshoe magnet
1 circular magnet
1 inch piece of magnetic tape
Procedure
Lay the paper clips out on the table.
Hold the bar magnet above the table.
Hold paperclips against the magnet until the paper clip stays.
Put more paperclips on the magnet until no more paperclips will
stay.
Take the paperclips off of the magnet.
Count the number of paperclips and write it down.
Then, repeat steps 1-7 for the other magnets.
Light fro ht
Make an Electromagnet
Materials
Procedure
Strip the insulation from the end of the wire, and tape it to
the head end of the nail, keeping some length of wire between
the end of the wire and the nail.
Begin coiling the wire down the nail. Try to wrap the coils
together as tightly as possible.
When you get close to the tip of the nail, start coiling the wire
back up the nail (its okay to make coils on top of each other).
Finish coiling when you make 2 or 3 layers of coils.
Tape the final coil down and cut the wire from the spool.
Make sure you have enough wire to connect both ends to the
battery. Strip the insulation from this end as well.
Tape the ends of the wire to the ends of the battery. If the
battery starts to get very hot, remove one end from the
battery for a while.
Move the tip of the nail near the paper clips. They should be
magnetically attracted to the nail.
Experiment:
a. What happens when you use more layers of coils (4, 5, 6,
or more)?
b. What happens when you use fewer layers of coils (1 or 2)?
c. What happens when you switch which ends are attached
to which ends of the battery?
Materials
String
Magnet
Scissors
Paper clip
Scotch tape
Clean glass jar with lid
Procedure:
Take the scissors and string. Cut a piece of string about the
length of the jar.
Next, tie the string to the paper clip with a simple knot. The
string and paper clip should now be a little less than the length
of the jar. (It may be necessary to cut off some of the extra
string).
Take a piece of tape and wrap it around the end of the string.
Materials:
a small mirror
a piece of white paper or cardboard
water (H2O
a container: a large shallow bowl or pan
a flashlight
Procedure:
Fill up the pan or bowl with water until the water is about an
inch from the containers rim.
Place the container on a flat surface like a table or the floor.
Turn off the lights in the room and close the blinds if possible.
One person should hold the mirror in the water at about a 45o
angle.
A second person should hold the white paper in front of and
above the container. Another person should turn on the
flashlight and shine it on the mirror in such a way that the
reflection of the light shines onto the piece of paper. Notice
the rainbow that appears on the piece of paper.
Sky in a Jar
Materials
Procedure
Fill the glass or jar with 1 cup of water.
Add 1 teaspoon of milk and stir until the milk and water are
thoroughly mixed.
Turn off the lights in the room and shut the blinds if possible
or bring the glass and flashlight into another room.
Hold the flashlight above the surface of the water with the
light shining on the water and observe the water in the glass
Making a Rainbow!
Materials
Procedure
Place a container near a white wall (if you are using paper tape
white paper on to the wall.)
Take the container and you use and fill it with water until it is
three quarters of the way full.
Take a small mirror and place it in the bowl so some of the mirror
is in water and some of it is not. Make sure the mirror is facing
away from the wall.
Now shine the flashlight so the light is shining on the part of the
mirror that is out of the water, and the part of the mirror that
is out of the water.
Now turn off the lights to the room and close the shades
Observe a rainbow on the wall
Once you are finished take the mirror out of the bowl and pour
the water out of the bowl into a sink. Also turn the flashlight
off.
Materials
Procedure
Place the lid of your container upside down on the table, turn
on your flashlight, and place your flashlight on top of the lid so
that it is aiming straight upward.
Enclose the flashlight within the container by lowering the main
body of the container over it and attaching it to the lid
underneath.
The aluminum may have to be moved up and down or bent up and down to focus the
microscope.
Make sure that the light is not too bright or it might make the object being viewed
look very blurry.
Pendulums
Materials
Procedure
Mark a line three feet from the doorway.
Tie loops at both ends of each string and distribute them equally
across the top of doorframe, taping them with the strings
hanging down.
On each of the bottom loops, place two paperclips.
Bring one string back to the line and release it, timing the
period. Do this for each of the strings.
Add two more paperclips and repeat step 4. Continue adding
paperclips and timing the periods until there are eight paperclips
on each string.
Create a table comparing the weight and period length for each
length string.
How does weight affect the period? How does length affect
period? If you wanted a longer period, would you change length
or weight and would you add it or subtract it?
Definitions
Bob- the weight at the end of the pendulum
Momentum- the tendency that any moving object has to keep going
unless something stops it
Period- which is the length of time the bob takes to swing back and
forth once