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?
We’re honored to get to say, “We did it!” With a final count of 5,401 people, all armed with Windbags, the seats at Coors Field were flooded with science as we set out to set a new world record for the the Largest Physics Lesson. What a sight… a sea of Windbags with a special fly-over by Sky9, that captured the moment on film from the helicopter. The requirement for Guinness World Records was that the lesson last at least 30 minutes, but, we decided to take it to the next level and go for a full 51 minutes. There were Mentos Geysers, Rockies players with Potato Guns, a lesson on Bernoulli’s Principle, and, of course, a giant kaboom for the finale. And, at the end of the lesson an official Guinness World Records adjudicator was on hand to present our team with a certificate for the new world record. Learn more about all of the science experiments featured on Science Day at Coors Field.
You can have a ton of fun with a beach ball, a leaf blower and a few dozen rolls of toilet paper. While this is an easy way to “TP” someone’s house, may I remind you that you promised to use your powers for good and never evil.
We’re back from another taping at the Ellen DeGeneres Show and we had a blast. I use the pronoun “we” because this taping required a team of people to orchestrate the final stunt… the Bed of Nails. This segment featured the Methane Bubble Fire Ball (always a crowd pleaser), a demonstration of Bernoulli’s Principle with floating ping-pong balls, beach balls and a new way to “TP” your friend’s house using a leaf blower (and who doesn’t like to decorate their friend’s home with toilet paper?). Learn more about all of the science demos.
The final science experiment was a demonstration of pressure… 4,538 points of pressure to be exact. The great people at the Arizona Science Center allowed us to borrow their Bed of Nails from their “Get Charged Up!” exhibit for the show. This was no easy task as the Bed of Nails (created by Hands-On exhibits in Flordia) weighs a mere 1,000 pounds. It’s by far the best Bed of Nails I’ve ever seen because the nails come up from the table. Just push the red button
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I can’t help but be amazed by the high-tech science that we’re seeing at this year’s Summer Olympics. Our 9News friend, Mark Koebrich, who is reporting from Beijing told me that the controversial swimsuit made by Speedo is nothing short of an engineering marvel that is definitely helping our Olympians perform to their true potential. The name of the game in so many of the sports is to reduce any opposing resistance. In some instances, the athlete can actually use other competitors to block the wind (drafting in cycling).
What does any of this have to do with floating beach balls and flying toilet paper? That fast-moving air flowing around the object creates an area of lower pressure and gives the athlete an advantage. Thanks Bernoulli.
