Science

Building the Make: Science Room

Building the Make: Science Room

A Personal Perspective by Robert Bruce Thompson Bob Thompson is our Science Curator at Make: Online and in the Maker Shed. He’s the author of numerous O’Reilly and Make: Books titles, including Building the Perfect PC, Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, Astronomy Hacks, and Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. I asked if he would […]

The pitch drop experiment

The pitch drop experiment

In 1927 Dr. Thomas Parnell at the University of Queensland heated a sample of petroleum pitch, also called bitumen, and poured it into a glass funnel, with a sealed neck, set in a ring stand. Three years later, in 1930, he broke the neck off the funnel and set it aside. It took eight years for the first drop of pitch to fall. The experiment has been running continuously ever since, and has produced a total of eight drops to date. The man shown in the photograph is Dr. John Mainstone, who is the experiment’s current custodian.

Theo Gray on electrochemical machining

Theo Gray on electrochemical machining

In this Boing Boing Video, PopSci columnist and author of the splendid and high-recommend Theo Gray’s Mad Science, explains how electrochemical machining (ECM) works and shows off a rig he put together to do ECM in his shop. The entire how-to can be found at popsci.com. Carve Steel with Saltwater, Electricity and a Tin Earring […]