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.
You might be surprised to find balls that don’t bounce, squish, change color, or even splat on the floor. It’s a great way to explore the science of toys.
The black rubber balls look and feel identical in every way except in the way they bounce. One ball bounces like a super ball while the other ball is “dead.” The secret is in the type of material used to make the balls. The ball that bounces is made out of a natural rubber that is highly resilient and very elastic – it’s great for bouncing. The “no bounce” ball is made out of a special type of rubber (usually butyl rubber) that absorbs the kinetic energy of the falling ball instead of changing it into potential energy.
We have had a very dry winter across the Front Range in Colorado. The threat of wildfires is high and we have already experienced a few this year. One way firefighters work to protect homes threatened by fires is to coat them with a special polymer like that found in a baby diaper. The polymer holds a tremendous amount of water. If the fire gets close to the house, the water held in the polymer evaporates and cools down the fire. Watch this demonstration with a $100 bill. Will the money burn or will it escape the fire?
Can you defeat the odds and create a hovering paper airplane? All you need is a sheet of paper, 2 identical fans and a lot of patience. This is a great experiment to teach the principals behind how an airplane flies, lift and drag, and the principals of air. Watch the video and then try this at home. Can you get the airplane to hover on the air currents?
Ethanol is an additive in gasoline because it burns clean and gives off a tremendous amount of energy. It is one of the renewable energy sources being looked at to replace oil and gas as our main energy resources.
Ethanol is grain alcohol and is made from corn. It is extremely flammable. When it burns, it gives off energy, carbon dioxide and water. Watch this simple demonstration to see the explosive properties of ethanol.
**This science demonstration is done for educational purposes but not to do at home. Check with your chemistry teacher for more information.
This demonstration proves that science is not for sissies. Stand on a stool charged with 50,000 volts of electricity and have it run over your body and across your skin. I tried this with Amelia Earhart, traffic reporter at 9News to demonstrate the power of electricity and one spark. The results were shocking.
