Each month, Pow!Science! offers fun, free Family Science Nights, where parents and kids sit down together to perform 3 engaging, hands ON experiments.
Find out when the next FSN is happening on our Events Calendar. If you can't make it to a Family Science Night, try the two simple Physics Experiments below!
Two Cool Experiments to See Just How Things Work
Experiment ONE: Lift Heavy with Light
Get these Materials Ready:
• Marble*
• Ball of Clay, larger & heavier than the marble
• Empty Spool or an empty toilet/paper towel roll (you’ll need a longer string
if you use a paper towel roll)
• String, about 12 inches long (longer can be hazardous)
• Tape
* If you don't have a marble handy, the experiment can also be performed with two balls of clay; one smaller, one larger.
Do These Steps:
1) Tape one end of the string to the marble (use plenty of tape to make sure it’s
secure).
2) Thread the string through the spool, and then attach (using tape if necessary)
the other end of the string to the ball of clay.
READ THIS, then TRY IT:
Even though the clay ball is heavier than the marble, you can use the
marble to support the ball by holding the spool and spinning the marble around
like a lasso. Practice lifting the clay ball by “marble spin power”. Can you make
the clay ball stay at a constant height? Try it!
Experiment TWO: Up Against the Wall!
Get these Materials Ready:
A Paper Towel, handkerchief or any small object
A Partner
Do These Steps:
1) Stand with your heels right up against a wall.
2) Have your partner place the paper towel about 30 centimeters in front of your
toes.
3) Try and bend down WITHOUT BENDING YOUR KNEES and pick up the
paper towel. PARTNER: Be ready to help keep experimenter from falling!
What Happens?
4) Now stand about 60 centimeters away from the wall, and repeat the
experiment with the paper towel.
What happens this time?
