If you’ve had fun reading about Steve Spangler’s science adventures in this blog, you should check out his extensive experiment library. SteveSpanglerScience.com offers hundreds of ever-changing, ever-growing free experiments!
From floating, growing Ivory Soap to finding the iron in a dollar bill, you are sure to find just the right experiment that uses materials you have right in your home. This library represents all of Steve’s most amazing, most requested experiments from his 9NEWS television segment as well as other appearances throughout his career.
While the turkey is cooking and everyone is standing around waiting for the meal to start, take out a few kitchen items and entertain your guests. Make sure you practice the challenge beforehand so you can amaze and baffle your audience. Don’t forget to reveal your tricks and your science knowledge. Make your big finish the Table Trick Challenge.
The Amazing Egg Drop
The Egg Drop is a classic science demonstration that illustrates Newton’s Laws of Motion, namely inertia. The challenge sounds so simple… just get the egg into the glass of water, but there are a few obstacles. The egg is perched high above the water on a cardboard tube, and a pie plate sits between the tube and the water. Still think it’s easy? Sir Isaac Newton does.
Tablecloth Trick
The classic “whip off” the tablecloth trick is a must for any aspiring science demonstrator who wants to be amazing! This experiment is guaranteed to either bring down the house or to get you into a lot of hot water. The idea is really quite simple – yank the
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There is science behind every sound we hear. Sound is made from vibrations in the air. Different materials making different vibrations make different sounds based on the amplification and speed of the sound wave. Here are some of our favorite materials and experiments with sound - Screaming Cup (the stick and slide method), a Thunder Tube, Space Phone, Talking Strips, Singing Rod and Sound Hose. Another favorite is Boomwhackers.
Are you planning your Thanksgiving dinner? Make sure to include the Tablecloth Trick for the pre-dinner entertainment.
First, make sure you have a tablecloth without a seam or an edge. A frayed edge that hasn’t been sewn is perfect. Lay the tablecloth on the table and stack a few of your friend’s dishes on it. Never use your own, just in case. The dishes stay in place when you pull downward quickly and whip the tablecloth out from under them.
The Tablecloth Trick works thanks to the Law of Inertia – the tendency for an object to stay at rest until a force acts upon it.
But why stop there? Why not add a new trick on top of whipping the tablecloth? Lay a plate on the tablecloth and then stack three glasses filled with water on top of the plate. For extra heart pounding
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We just can’t get enough of dry ice at Halloween. It’s perfect for many bubbling, spooky science activities. One favorite demonstration is the Dry Ice Crystal Ball Bubble. This activity will have your audience oohing, ahhing, then asking to do it again. First, purchase a few pounds of dry ice at your local grocery store. Bring gloves and a styrofoam cooler with you. Be careful – dry ice is -110 degrees below zero and can burn skin.
Cut a strip of cloth about 1 inch wide and 18 inches long (an old t-shirt works well). Soak the cloth in a solution of Dawn dish soap or use your favorite recipe for making bubble solution. Make sure that the cloth is completely soaked. Use a smooth-lipped bowl and fill it half way with warm water. Using gloves or tongs, add enough dry ice to the
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Halloween is right around the corner and there is nothing better than to mix up some dry ice concoctions for your Halloween party. Grocery stores sell dry ice, especially around this time of the year, so call around or visit the customer service desk in your local grocery store and ask if they carry it. Dry ice is -110 degrees and can burn if it comes in contact with your skin, so plan ahead and bring a cooler and gloves with you to the store. Also keep in mind that you must be over 18 to purchase dry ice.
Dry ice goes from solid to gas in a process called sublimation. It skips the liquid phase. Drop some dry ice in a cylinder filled part way with warm water and listen to the oohs and ahhs. The water burps and bubbles
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While the turkey is cooking and everyone is standing around waiting for the meal to start, take out a few kitchen items and entertain your guests. Make sure you practice the challenge beforehand so you can amaze and baffle your audience. Don’t forget to reveal your tricks and your science knowledge. Make your big finish the Table Trick Challenge.
