Science
DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
If you like the MythBusters here are some videos they just posted of some of the out takes and things that didn’t appear on the show. Cola bits (cleaning things with cola), water torture, otter ping pong, live power lines, cement build up and plywood flight. [
Learn all about Nanotechnology…
Ken writes “I work for a group at the University of Wisconsin that designs experiments in nanotechnology. While created with high school and/or college students in mind, the experiments may be interesting to your readers. Nanotechnology is a bit of a buzzword right now, and many people are surprised to learn that they can easily make things like nickel nanowires and organic light emitting diodes. The site includes materials lists and safety precautions. Full use of the site does require Quicktime.” Link.
NASA’s Stardust sampler lands…
Incredible engineering, math and robotics – “NASA’s Stardust sample return mission returned safely to Earth when the capsule carrying cometary and interstellar particles successfully touched down at 2:10 a.m. Pacific time (3:10 a.m. Mountain time) in the desert salt flats of the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range.” [via] Link.
HOW TO – Build an Electrostatic Motor
Here’s how to make a very cool motor from a disposable plastic drinking cup, aluminium foil, glue-stick, bamboo or dowel, wire and a non-conducting base, such as a plastic plate or a wooden board. Kiteman writes – “Normal motors are driven by electromagnetic forces. This motor needs no batteries, mains supply or solar cells. Electrostatic motors are turned by the kind of electricity generated by wearing nylon clothes in a modern office. Think of it as gigantic nano-technology as well, because this is how the microscopic motors of nanobots work.” Link.
Build your own metal detector…
“BFO (beat frequency oscillator) metal detectors use two oscillators, each of which produces a radio frequency. One of these oscillators uses a coil of wire that we call the search loop. The second oscillator uses a much smaller coil of wire, and is usually inside the control box and is called the reference oscillator. By adjusting the oscillators so their frequencies are very nearly the same, the difference between them is made audible as a beat note, this beat note changes slightly when the search loop is moved over or near to a piece of metal.” Link.
Amateur Microscopy
You can find these old digital microscopes on eBay for under $20. Here’s a blog that catalogs some of what you can see with them – “Last week, I got myself a toy I’ve wanted to play with for many years — the Intel Play QX3 Digital Microscope. When I was a kid, the old medical microscope my parents bought for me at a garage sale was my favorite toy. I would spend hours putting whatever I could find underneath it… and now, with the digital microscope, I’m doing it again as an adult. I am adding new pictures every day and will continue to do so until I run out of things to look at with the microscope”… [via] Link.
365 Days of Skywatching – Free ebook
“What’s Up 2006 – 365 Days of Skywatching by Tammy Plotner is a free, downloadable ebook. Brought to you by Universe Today. If you like the weekly “What’s Up this Week” column in Universe Today, you’ll love this. The entire viewing schedule for 2006 is available as a free, 400+ downloadable ebook. You can download the whole book, turn to the page for tonight’s suggestions – print off the page and head outside.” [via] Link. We’re helping Universetoday with their PDF downloads, so please grab the PDF from here.
