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Saturday, December 31, 2011

BUILD A FILM CANISTER ROCKET



  • One empty 35mm plastic film canister and lid. These are getting harder to find, but stores that develop film should have some. (The white canisters work much better than the black ones do.) If you have trouble finding canisters, you can get them HERE.
  • One fizzing antacid tablet (such as Alka-Seltzer - Get this from your parents)
  • Water
  • Safety goggles
1. Put on those safety goggles and head outside - no really, when this works, that film canister really flies! If you want to try the indoor version, do not turn the canister upside down in step 5.
2. Break the antacid tablet in half.
3. Remove the lid from the film canister and put a teaspoon (5 ml) of water into the canister.
   Do the next 2 steps quickly 

4. Drop the tablet half into the canister and snap the cap onto the canister (make sure that it snaps on tightly.)

5. Quickly put the canister on the ground CAP SIDE DOWN and STEP BACK at least 2 meters.
6. About 10 seconds later, you will hear a POP! and the film canister will launch into the air!
Caution: If it does not launch, wait at least 30 second before examining the canister. Usually the cap is not on tight enough and the build up of gas leaked out.

There's nothing like a little rocket science to add some excitement to the day. When you add the water it starts to dissolve the alka-seltzer tablet. This creates a gas call carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide is being released, it creates pressure inside the film canister. The more gas that is made, the more pressure builds up until the cap it blasted down and the rocket is blasted up. This system of thrust is how a real rocket works whether it is in outer space or here in the earth's atmosphere. Of course, real rockets use rocket fuel. You can experiment controlling the rocket's path by adding fins and a nose cone that you can make out of paper. If you like this experiment, try the Exploding Lunch Bag. Be safe and have fun!


The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does water temperature affect how fast the rocket launches?
2. Does the size of the tablet piece affect how long it takes for the rocket to launch?
3. Can the flight path be controlled by adding fins or a nosecone to the canister?
4. How much water in the canister will give the highest flight?
5. How much water will give the quickest launch?

Rapid Color Changing Chemistry


Sometimes it’s hard to tell SCIENCE from MAGIC - and this little demonstration is a great example of that. In this experiment you will watch an almost clear liquid suddenly turn dark blue in a flash. It takes a bit of preparation, and probably a trip to the pharmacy for materials, but we think it’s worth it.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: This experiment should only be done with the help of an adult. Iodine will stain just about anything it touches and it can be hazardous. Hydrogen peroxide can cause eye and skin irritation - safety goggles are needed throughout the experiment. Be sure your helpful adult reads the caution labels on each container.

  • 3 clear plastic cups 4 ounces or larger
  • A 1000 mg Vitamin C tablet from the pharmacy (you can also use two 500mg)
  • Tincture of iodine (2%) also from the pharmacy
  • Hydrogen peroxide (3%) yep, also from the pharmacy
  • Liquid laundry starch (see below for alternatives)
  • Safety goggles
  • Measuring spoons
  • Measuring cup
  • An adult helper
  1. Put on those safety goggles and mash the 1000 mg Vitamin C tablet by placing it into a plastic bag and crushing it with a rolling pin or the back of a large spoon. Get it into as much of a fine powder as possible. Then put all the powder in the first cup and add 2 ounces (60 ml) of warm water. Stir for at least 30 seconds. (The water may be a little cloudy) Let’s call this “LIQUID A”
  2. Now put 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of your LIQUID A into a new cup and add to it: 2 oz (60 ml) of warm water and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of the iodine. Notice the brown iodine turned clear! Let’s call this “LIQUID B.” By the way, you’re done with LIQUID A - you can put it aside.
  3. In the last cup, mix 2 oz of warm water, 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) of the hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of the liquid starch. This is, you guessed it, “LIQUID C”
  4. Okay, that was a lot of preparation, on to the fun part. Gather the friends and family and pour all of LIQUID B into LIQUID C. Then pour them back and fourth between the 2 cups a few times. Place the cup down and observe….be patient....somewhere between a few seconds and a few minutes, the liquid will suddenly turn dark blue!

This is an example of the chemical reaction know as the IODINECLOCK REACTION. It is called a clock reaction because you can change the amount if time it takes for the liquids to turn blue. (see experiments below) The chemistry of the demonstration gets a bit complicated, but basically it is a battle of chemistry between the starch which is trying to turn the iodine blue, and the Vitamin C which is keeping it from turning blue. Eventually the Vitamin C loses and, bam! - you get instant blueness.

Note: If you do not have liquid starch, you can also use 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch or potato starch. The liquids will be more cloudy and the reaction will happen a bit more slowly, but it’s still impressive.
Clean up: Carefully pour all liquids down the drain with plenty of water and wash your hands. Recycle the cups or dispose of them in the trash.


The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:
1. Does the temperature of the water affect how quickly the liquids turn blue?
2. Does the amount of Vitamin C added (Liquid A) affect how fast the liquid turns blue?
3. Does stirring the liquids more affect how fast the liquids turn blue?


What do you mean by Technology?


Technology is all about using the technical and scientific knowledge we have to help solve problems or to make life better.
The Young Persons Challenge Fund challenges you to use this knowledge to make public services in Scotland better for young people.
You can use technology that is already available and being used (eg the internet, mobile phones, computers), or you can also develop new technology.

Natural Sciences




Biology

  • Anatomy
  • Astrobiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biophysics
  • Botany
  • Cell biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Ecology
  • Entomology
  • Epidemiology
  • Evolution (Evolutionary biology)
  • Freshwater Biology
  • Genetics
  • Immunology
  • Marine biology
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Morphology
  • Neuroscience
  • Physical anthropology
  • Physiology
  • Population dynamics
  • Structural biology
  • Taxonomy
  • Toxicology
  • Virology
  • Zoology

Chemistry

  • Analytical chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Computational chemistry
  • Electrochemistry
  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Materials science
  • Organic chemistry
  • Polymer chemistry
  • Physical chemistry
  • Quantum chemistry
  • Spectroscopy
  • Stereochemistry
  • Thermochemistry

Physics

  • Acoustics
  • Astrodynamics
  • Astronomy
  • Astrophysics
  • Biophysics
  • Classical mechanics
  • Computational physics
  • Condensed matter physics
  • Cryogenics
  • Dynamics
  • Fluid dynamics
  • High Energy Physics
  • Materials physics
  • Mechanics
  • Nuclear physics
  • Optics
  • Particle physics
  • Plasma physics
  • Polymer physics
  • Quantum mechanics
  • Solid State physics
  • Thermodynamics

Earth Science

  • Environmental Science
  • Geodesy
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • Hydrology
  • Meteorology
  • Oceanography
  • Paleontology
  • Seismology


Science Definition


The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge.
How do we define science? According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of science is "knowledge attained through study or practice," or "knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method [and] concerned with the physical world."
What does that really mean? Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. The term science also refers to the organized body of knowledge people have gained using that system. Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it.
What is the purpose of science? Perhaps the most general description is that the purpose of science is to produce useful models of reality.
Most scientific investigations use some form of the scientific method. You can find out more about the scientific method here.
Science as defined above is sometimes called pure science to differentiate it from applied science, which is the application of research to human needs. Fields of science are commonly classified along two major lines:
   - Natural sciences, the study of the natural world, and
   - Social sciences, the systematic study of human behavior and society.