Fizz Boom Read! Activity Book 2014 Science is everything! Read a book to find the tools that help us understand why things work and how to make things happen. Take a look in this book to take the lead on science and engineering projects! Triangle.MadScience.Org In Class Fieldtrips Birthday Parties Summer Camps Special Events Assemblies and Shows After School Clubs
Experiments Traveling Toothpicks... 4 Oil Dance... 5 Bobble Ball... 6 Cork Rocket... 7 Paper Frost... 8 Comeback Can... 9 Plant Perspiration... 10 Edible Aquifer... 11 Balancing Act... 13 Paper Spill... 14 Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 3
Traveling Toothpicks What holds water droplets together? How do chemicals affect water? Try this simple experiment with dish soap to explore the sticky side of water. Shallow bowl filled with water 5 Toothpicks Dish soap Small dish for dish soap 1. Arrange four toothpicks in pairs to make a V-shape. Float the pairs so that they point towards the center of the bowl of water. 2. Dip the tip of the fifth toothpick in the dish soap. Touch the tip in the water, near the center of the bowl. 3. What happens to the floating toothpicks? You're breaking surface tension! When the dish soap touches the water in the center of the plate, the toothpicks move away from it. The dish soap gives off an oily film that spreads outwards. This film weakens the surface tension of the water and it carries the toothpicks away with it! Repeat this experiment with different chemicals such as sugar, vegetable oil, dish detergent or baby oil. Do the toothpicks move the same way? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 4
Oil Dance How dense is oil compared to water? Both are liquids but their properties are very different. Make these liquids move with a shake of salt! Clear drinking glass Water Vegetable or baby oil Salt 1. Fill the glass halfway with water. 2. Add a layer of oil about 1 cm (1/2 in.) thick over the water. 3. Shake salt over the layer of oil. What happens? You created a density dance! The bubbles sink and rise because of the changing densities in the oil. Density is the mass of an object in a given volume. A sponge has less mass than a brick that is the same size, and you can feel this difference because the sponge is lighter than the brick. Oil is a liquid that is less dense than water, so it floats on top of water. When you pour salt into the glass, it mixes with the oil to form an oily salt bubble. The salt and oil are denser than the water alone, so the bubble sinks. When the salt from the bubble dissolves in the water, the remaining oil floats back to the top. Repeat the experiment with sugar or sand. Does the same thing happen? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 5
Bobble Ball What happens if you throw a ball? What if that ball has a moving weight inside? Test your theory by throwing this idea around! Balloon Modeling Clay Bucket 1. Roll a piece of clay into a long string, like a snake, and drop it into the balloon. 2. Roll the balloon between your hands to form a ball of clay inside the balloon. 3. Inflate the balloon and tie it. 4. Place the bucket about 10 steps away from you. Try to toss the balloon into the bucket. What happens? You changed the balloon s center of gravity! The center of gravity is where an object s mass is concentrated. Here on Earth, the center of gravity is near the middle of an object or person. In space, the effect of gravity is reduced; an object s center of gravity is also altered. You modeled this change with the Bobble Ball. The clay ball acts like the balloon s mass. It moves around inside the balloon and changes its center of gravity. This is why it moves in such a strange way. What happens if you change the shape of the clay ball or add two clay balls to the balloon? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 6
Cork Rocket A rocket needs a big push to make it into outer space. Create a chemical reaction to push this cork high up in the air! Baking soda Teaspoon Paper towel Measuring cup Water Vinegar Large plastic soda bottle Colored ribbon Cork to fit bottle mouth Tape This experiment is best performed outdoors away from overhead obstacles like tree branches and roofs. 1. Put one teaspoon of baking soda onto a paper towel. Roll up the paper towel and twist its ends so you have a little package of baking soda. 2. Pour ½ cup of water and ½ cup vinegar into the plastic bottle. 3. Tape some short pieces of ribbon to the top of the cork. Wrap tape around the side of the cork. 4. Ask an adult to find a safe outdoor location to launch your cork rocket. Verify no people or windows may be hit by your rocket! 5. Set the bottle on the ground, drop the package of baking soda inside the bottle and cap it with your cork. It should be securely in place but not too tight. 6. The reaction begins once the baking soda and vinegar come in contact with each other. Move back at least 3 meters (9 feet) and watch the launch! The cork rocket launches because of a chemical reaction. Mixing vinegar and baking soda makes a chemical reaction. This makes carbon dioxide gas. The gas is trapped inside the bottle because of the cork. But the gas takes up a lot of space. As a result, pressure builds up inside the bottle until it forces the cork to pop off the top. The pressure launches the cork into the air! What can you add to the cork rocket to make it fly better? What can you add to make it land better? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 7
Paper Frost Salts are tiny crystals! This experiment shows you the solution for writing in crystal ink. Box of Epsom salts Tablespoon Large bowl Kettle Water Small paintbrush Sheet of black construction paper Adult helper 1. Have your helper pour ½ cup hot water into a large bowl. 2. Add Epsom salts to the hot water and stir. Keep adding salts until they no longer dissolve. You will see a layer of salt at the bottom of the bowl. 3. Paint a design on the sheet of black construction paper with the paintbrush and salt solution. 4. Allow your design to dry. A frost will appear on the black paper once it is completely dry. 5. Compare your frost crystals to the salt grains. What do you notice? You made frosty salt crystals! Water from the salt solution evaporates into the air after you paint it onto the paper. The salts do not evaporate like water. They re-crystallize or join together to form lumps. We see them when the lumps get big enough. The crystals look like frost on the black paper. In the film industry, studios use salt frost instead of real frost to decorate the windows on a set when shooting a movie. Add food coloring to the salt solution. Does this change the frost color on the paper? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 8
Comeback Can What kind of energy can you harness from an elastic band? Get an adult helper and turn an empty can into a wind-up toy! Coffee can with plastic lid Adult helper Nail Hammer Large elastic band Scissors String Small heavy weight (e.g., two or three large washers) 1. Have your helper poke two holes in the lid and in bottom of the can. The holes should be about 5 cm (2 in.) apart. 2. Cut an elastic band so that it forms one long piece instead of a loop. Thread the elastic band through the holes in the coffee can and lid. Tie the elastic band s ends to make a loop again. 3. Tie a weight to the elastic band at the middle point of the band. The weight should hang without touching the inside of the can. 4. Put the lid on the can and gently roll the can away from you. What happens? You re rolling with gravity and energy! The hanging heavy weight twists the elastic band when you roll the can away from you. Twisting the band stores energy in the elastic. When the elastic untwists, it drives the can in the opposite direction. The experiment won t work if you push the can too hard because the weight will spin too. How does changing the size of the band change the way the can moves? Try it and see! Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 9
Plant Perspiration Plants are living things. Do they breathe? Use this experimental set-up to see how plants sweat! 2 Healthy broad leaves with long stems 2 Wide mouth jars or glasses 2 Clear plastic cups, larger than the leaves 2 Pieces of cardboard to cover the tops of the jars 2 Small rocks 2 Cotton balls Scissors Food coloring Petroleum jelly Water 1. Hold the stems underwater and trim the stems diagonally with the scissors. Fill both jars with water, and add 10 drops of food coloring in each jar. 2. Poke a small hole in the middle of each cardboard piece. Fit the leaf stem through the hole and place one cardboard piece over each jar. 3. Coat one leaf with petroleum jelly. Cover each leaf with a clear plastic cup. 4. Put a small weight on top of each cup and place the jars on a sunny windowsill for one hour. 5. Look inside the plastic cups. Which cup contains moisture? Use the cotton balls to wipe the moisture in the cup. What color is the moisture? 6. Keep the cups on the window sill for a day. Look at the leaves the next day. Did they pick up the color from the food coloring? You controlled plant transpiration! The moisture in the cup is from transpiration. This happens when plants give off water vapor. Water vapor moves through tiny pores called stomata. This is how plants sweat! One leaf absorbs the colored water and transpires the water from its stomata. We see the color in the cup s moisture and in the leaf s veins. The petroleum jelly blocks the other leaf s pores. It cannot transpire. There is no moisture in the cup and the leaf does not change color. Are stomata on the topside or underside of a leaf? Use petroleum jelly to block one side or the other to find out! Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 10
Edible Aquifer Where does rainwater go? Does the ground really filter water? Try this delicious experiment to learn more about aquifers!! Clear drinking glass Blue or red food coloring Cake decoration sprinkles Vanilla ice cream Drinking straw Clear pop Spoon Chocolate chips Chocolate chip cookies 1. Fill one-third of the cup with chocolate chips. Pour clear soda over the chocolate chips. See how the soda fills in the spaces around the chocolate chips. 2. Spread a layer of ice cream over the chips and soda. Note how the soda cannot move through the ice cream. 3. Break the cookie into large lumps. Add a layer of cookie lumps over the ice cream. Add a layer of decorating sprinkles. Note how the ice cream keeps the top layer from mixing with the bottom layer. 4. Mix some soda with food coloring. Pour the colored soda over the layers and watch where it goes. 5. Put your straw into the cup, and push it into the chocolate chip layer till it reaches the bottom of the glass. Slowly suck on the straw and watch as the level of clear soda goes down. Watch the movement of the colored soda. 6. Add more soda, and watch as the level of soda moves up again in your aquifer. Eat your aquifer before it melts! You created a model aquifer! An aquifer is a natural source for groundwater. Aquifers are made up of layers of soil, sand, and rocks. Groundwater is stored in and moves slowly through these layers. The soda is like groundwater. In your aquifer, the chocolate chips are like the gravel, sand, and rock layer that stores groundwater. A layer of clay or dense rock keeps the water in place. Your ice cream does the same thing. Another layer of gravel and sand, like the lumps of chocolate chip cookies, covers the clay. The top layer is soil and is very porous. This is like the cake decorations. The straw is like a well to pull water out of the aquifer. The food coloring is like adding pollutants to the ground. Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 11
How quickly do you empty your aquifer with one well (one straw)? Add another straw to make a second well. Does your aquifer empty faster? How could you compare this to real life? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 12
Balancing Act Can you change gravity? You can play with the center of it! Build this center of gravity project and get into the swing of things! Bottle cork Construction paper Markers Scissors Tape Modeling clay 5 Toothpicks Pipe cleaner Steel washer 1. Draw an animal head on the construction paper and cut it out. Tape the head to a toothpick and stick it into the top of the cork. 2. Stick the other four toothpicks into the cork to make arms and legs. Wrap the ends of the toothpick with modeling clay to make paws. 3. Try to balance your animal on your finger. Poke your animal with your other hand. Does it stay balanced? 4. Wrap one end of the pipe cleaner around the washer. Attach the other end to the cork to make a tail for your animal. 5. Try to balance your animal on your finger. Poke your animal with your other hand. Does it stay balanced? You ve found the center of gravity! The center of gravity is the point at which an object balances. Your animal balances when its center of gravity is below its pivot or support point. The washer lowers the center of gravity and allows your animal to balance. Your animal should rock but not tip over if you poke it. Many tightrope walkers carry a sagging bar or pole to help lower the center of gravity as they balance on the narrow rope. Would your animal balance easier if its tail was heavier? Add another washer to find out! How far can you tilt your animal before it loses its balance? What other creatures can you create? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 13
Paper Spill Do water and oil mix? How can we separate them? Try this experiment to get pretty results from an oil spill! 3 Plastic Cups Clear cooking oil Food coloring Water Fork Tablespoon Teaspoon White construction paper Flat baking pan Clothespins and clothesline 1. Add one tablespoon of cooking oil and one teaspoon of food coloring into each cup. 2. Beat with the fork until the food coloring is well mixed. This will take about 3 minutes per cup. 3. Fill the baking pan with water it just covers the bottom of the pan. Pour some of the mixture onto different areas of the water in the pan. What happens to the oil? 4. Lay a piece of the construction paper on top of the water. Wait thirty seconds, and then carefully lift it off. 5. Hang up the wet paper with a clothespin, and let it dry for a few hours. What do you see? You just created an artsy oil spill! Oil floats on water and spreads quickly. This is why the coloring and oil mixture spreads over the water in your pan. The coloring sticks to the construction paper. It leaves a swirl of color. In nature, oil spills are bad for the environment. Petroleum from oil spills spreads quickly. Birds, sea life, and seashore animals that contact the oil get coated with it. This removes their natural waterproof layer and can make them helpless to the sea and cold weather. It is very difficult to clean up an oil spill! See how oil can affect animals. Compare a feather dipped in a glass of water to one dipped in your oil pan. How do they feel? Can you figure out how to remove the oil from the feather? Fizz Boom READ Experiment booklet 2014 Mad Science Group 14