Introduction Mathematicians look at the world around them in terms of numbers and formulas, and now, you can discover the formula for Pi too! In this science activity you will examine circular objects and see what you can discover about their sizes. As you explore, you might be surprised at how useful the results can …
Abstract Have you ever made your own ice cream? If you have, you probably know that you need to get the ice cream mixture really cold to freeze it quickly. Ice cubes alone will not do the job, but if you add chemicals, such as salt or sugar, to the ice cubes that surround the …
Chemistry in Ice-Cream Making: Lowering the Freezing Point of Water Read More »
Abstract When you go to the supermarket, how do you pick out ripe fruits and vegetables? You might look at their size or color, or feel them for firmness. That might be easy to do when you pick out a half dozen apples, but imagine if you had to examine thousands of apples growing …
Is It Ripe Yet? Build a Circuit to Detect Ripe Produce Read More »
Build a Disk Siren Introduction If you live in an urban area, you probably hear them almost every day: sirens. Police cars, ambulances, fire trucks—they all can come blaring. Their wailing sounds are piercingly loud to help alert others to clear the road in front of them. But have you ever thought about how this …
Make some noise for the holidays with a disk siren Read More »
Abstract Have you ever seen clothing with built-in lights? This might sound like something out of a science-fiction movie, but electronic textiles (or e-textiles for short) really exist. Instead of using hard surfaces for circuits (like what goes inside your computer or cell phone), e-textiles weave electrical parts like batteries, wires, and lights directly into clothing that you …
DIY Christmas gift idea:LED Dance Glove: E-textile Read More »
A spinning Candle Carousel Abstract Have you ever ridden on a carousel, or a merry-go-round, at an amusement park? On a carousel, you usually get to take a seat on a wooden horse or other animal that spins around and around as the carousel is turned on and powered by electricity. Another smaller type of …
Abstract Solar cells are popping up on rooftops everywhere these days and are a model for clean, renewable energy. Did you ever look at those solar panels and wonder how we can get electricity produced by solar cells when the sun is not shining? It is a great question because solar panels do not produce …
Water to Fuel to Water: The Fuel Cycle of the Future Read More »
How Strong Is Your Hair? How Strong Is Your Hair? – STEM Activity Introduction Have you ever wondered how strong hair is? When we talk about our hair we usually discuss color, length or texture. But what about hair strength? If you look at a strand of hair, it looks like a very thin string. …
Introduction Are you good at tossing a Frisbee? Have you ever wondered how a Frisbee is able to fly through the air so well? If you can throw a perfect, arcing curve, right on target, you have already trained your arm on the aerodynamics of Frisbee flight! Materials A Frisbee Long string or hose Tape …
We use passwords every day for our email and other computer accounts. How secure is the password that you use? How hard would it be for someone to guess your password? How hard is it to write a computer program to guess a password? You can see for yourself by writing a simple password guesser …
Password Security: How Easily Can Your Password Be Hacked? Read More »
