I’ll have to admit that my Trash Can Smoke Rings routine is not only a signature staple in my stage show, but it’s become one of my all-time favorite science demos to perform. After presenting my smoke ring routine on the Ellen Show, I received a flood of e-mails with questions about the smoke machine and where to purchase the device. Unfortunately, the cost of a good smoke machine can be a deal breaker for many smoke ring enthusiasts. That’s why I’m hoping you try my latest variation… Smoke Bomb Smoke Rings.
Professional athletes practice before the big game day… and so should the visiting science team. We’re honored to be invited by the Colorado Rockies baseball organization and NBC affiliate 9News to kick-off their first annual Science Day at Coors Field on May 7, 2009. If you’re in the Colorado area, there’s still time to sign-up. Yes, even Dinger liked the kaboom.
They say practice makes perfect. So, we were practicing for an upcoming live performance by setting off liquid nitrogen trash can explosions in our parking lot… and a few visitors showed up. We might have upset our neighbors.
Let’s start by saying, “Don’t try this at home… or anywhere for that matter.” The explosion is the biggest I’ve seen (outside of some military training!). Our good friends down at the Oklahoma Science Center do this demo as part of their Science LIVE show and it’s great. The demo team down at the Arizona Science Center shared their version of the liquid nitrogen explosion by covering the soda bottle with a trash can. When bottle blows, the trash can takes flight… much to the amusement of the kids.
You might be wondering how this kind of thing fits into a normal work day. The word “normal” is probably arguable, but it does happen. Several weeks ago, I was asked by the Colorado Rockies and 9News to help them kick off their first annual Science Day at Coors Field. The organizers want Kathy Sabine from 9News and I to do …
We now have over 100,000 subscribers who receive our Science Experiment of the Week in their inbox each Wednesday morning. We’ve had requests to create a widget (especially from teachers who blog), and we finally did it using Widgetbox. The widget is called Science Experiment of the Week from Steve Spangler. We think it’s a cool widget that shares both experiments and our featured videos.
If you don’t have a website, you can still sign-up for the e-mail version of our Experiment of the Week. We’ll deliver a brief e-mail that’s packed with cool science ideas you can put to use right away. And you have my personal guarantee that neither your name nor your e-mail address will be shared with anyone or any company. Our mailing lists are not for sale, rent, loan, lease or barter to anyone. Ever.
I’d really like to hear your feedback on how the widget works on your website.
It’s a demonstration that almost has to be seen in person to believe. Otherwise, you’re likely to say, “It’s fake… there’s no way that could happen!” As you’re watching the video below, please remember that there is absolutely no trick photography. When disbelievers see the demonstration performed live, the reaction is nothing short of astonishing. Based on our past experience, we know that color mixing is not a reversible process. Mix red and blue and you make purple. Separating the colors back into their original form is not only tricky but incomprehensible for many of us. Watch the video… you’ll see why we call it a “Twist in Time.”
I believe what’s happening here is very low Reynold’s number laminar flow, which means that there are many parallel layers of “sticky” (or viscous) fluid. As the handle is turned, the dyes remain within their original layers and do not mix with each other, even as they are spread out over their individual layers. As the crank is turned backwards, the process is inverted, and since there is no fluid turbulence in laminar flow, the process can be inverted almost perfectly. You’ll find more discussion …
