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    47 Easy-to-Do Classic Science Experiments
    47 Easy-to-Do Classic Science Experiments
    47 Easy-to-Do Classic Science Experiments
    Ebook181 pages1 hour

    47 Easy-to-Do Classic Science Experiments

    By Eugene F. Provenzo and Asterie Baker Provenzo

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    About this ebook

    Here is a highly motivating book for grade-school students that will introduce them to many of the world's most popular (and historically significant) scientific experiments. They'll learn about gravity simply by following the acrobatic antics of an ordinary coin. By trying to blow an egg out of a cup, they'll discover the principles of air pressure. Dancing soap bubbles will help them understand the effects of static electricity, and by dropping quarters into a full glass of water without causing it to overflow, they'll study the effects of surface tension.
    These and over 40 other experiments have been carefully selected by noted educators Eugene and Asterie Baker Provenzo to familiarize children with classic science experiments involving optics, inertia, air pressure, magnetism, sound, topology, light, density, vibration, prisms, elasticity, gases, vacuum, perspective, geometry, centrifugal force, buoyancy, color, and much more. Some experiments, such as the optical "Newton's Rings" are hundreds of years old. Still others, like the straw lever test, are based on Greek experiments with leverage and the center of gravity — first carried out thousands of years ago.
    Easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations show youngsters how to perform each experiment, most of which are prefaced with historical background, a list of necessary materials and an explanation of key terms. Almost all experiments can be carried out with common household items (tissue paper, scissors, tapes, rubber balloons, pens, pencils, etc.) and can be worked at home or in the classroom to demonstrate specific scientific principles or to supplement a science-curriculum unit. Sources for all historical illustrations given in the text are listed at the end of the book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateJul 31, 2012
    ISBN9780486145822
    47 Easy-to-Do Classic Science Experiments

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      Great book that fuel inspiration for discovering and learning from the old eras

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    47 Easy-to-Do Classic Science Experiments - Eugene F. Provenzo

    phonograph

    1.

    Surface Tension

    How Many Quarters Will a Glass Full of Water Hold?

    Science makes it possible to perform some wonderful tricks on your friends. For example, suppose you fill a glass with water right to the top. Then ask a friend how many quarters they think you can drop into the glass without causing the water to overflow. No doubt, they will say one or two. The fact is, as the illustration below shows, the answer is more like ten!

    How to Drop Quarters Into a Full Glass of Water Without Causing It to Overflow

    Be sure that the glass is filled with water to the very rim. The surface of the water should be slightly convex.

    Carefully, with a steady hand, drop one quarter into the water. Add another and another to the water. As the coins are dropped into the water, you will be able to see that the surface of the water is becoming more and more convex owing to the principles of gravity and surface tension. It will be astonishing how many quarters can be dropped into the glass and how convex the surface of the water will become before the water overflows.

    Floating Needle

    Two variations of a very simple experiment in surface tension are illustrated below. In both experiments, a needle is made to float on the surface of water in a glass.

    How to Float a Needle on Water

    Place the sewing needle on the fork and gently let the fork down into the glass filled with water. If you are careful, you can remove the fork, and the needle will remain floating on the surface of the water. This trick is possible because the surface of the needle that isn’t touching the water remains dry.

    The experiment will be even more successful if you oil the needle by rubbing it between your fingers. But remember, the needle must remain dry or it will sink.

    In the second version of the experiment, a piece of tissue paper is placed on the surface of the water in the glass. The needle is carefully placed on the tissue paper. As the paper becomes soaked with water, it will sink to the bottom of the glass, leaving the needle floating on the surface of the water.

    Snuffing a Candle with a Soap Bubble

    The elasticity of a soap bubble is very much like that of a balloon. Both a balloon and a soap bubble can be greatly expanded by having air forced into them. As the experiment illustrated below demonstrates, the surface tension of a soap bubble can exert a force that is actually strong enough to snuff a

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