20 Fun

Experiments you

can do at home

By Nikhar Saraswat

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

EXPERIMENT 1. FLIP A GLASS OF WATER UPSIDE DOWN WITHOUT POURING THE WATER

EXPERIMENT 2. FLOATING A NEEDLE ON WATER

EXPERIMENT 3. RULLER APPEARS BROKEN IN A GLASS OF WATER

EXPERIMENT 4. PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY EXPERIMENT

EXPERIMENT 5. BURNING CANDLE AIR DISPLACEMENT EXPERIMENT

EXPERIMENT 6. FRESH EGG FLOATING AND SINKING IN DIFFERENT WATERS

EXPERIMENT 8. WATER RISING IN A STRAW

EXPERIMENT 9. OSMOSIS EXPERIMENT

EXPERIMENT 10. ROTTING BREAD EXPERIMENT

EXPERIMENT 11. DIFFUSION EXPERIMENT

EXPERIMENT 12. HOW TO CALCULATE THE VOLUME OF AN IRREGULAR OBJECT USING THE DISPLACEMENT METHOD

EXPERIMENT 13. REFLECTION OF LIGHT

EXPERIMENT 14. EXPANSION OF OBJECTS

EXPERIMENT 15. INERTIA FORCE

EXPERIMENT 16. SEPARATING SOLUBLE SUBSTANCES THROUGH EVAPORATION

EXPERIMENT 17. MAKING HOMEMADE INDICATOR

EXPERIMENT 18. SOFT AND HARD WATER

EXPERIMENT 19. STATES OF MATTER

EXPERIMENT 20. MAGNETS POLES BEHAVIOR34

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Science is magical. To experience the magic in science, you need to take

part in discovering it yourself. You can simply do this by performing

experiments. An experiment is simply a procedural task that is done to

proof a concept or explain a situation.

Scientists like Isaac newton, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin treasured

science. They performed uncountable experiments in science and ended up

being international heroes celebrated to date. Have you ever wondered

where the bulb came from? Thomas Edison invented it. The most

interesting thing about the entire invention is that Thomas performed 999

experiments without success and only his 1000th experiment finally

succeeded. This just tells you how important experiments are.

Why are experiments important?

1. To prove a concept. Experiments are performed to explain why

thing are the way they are. To show that water is denser than oil, you

would need to pour the two liquids in the same glass, shake and see

which one sinks.

2. To test if an idea is applicable. If you decided to invent a machine

to cut vegetables, you would need vegetables which you would need to

chop using the machine to see if it works according to your

expectations. That would be an experiment.

3. To establish if a theory is true. When you visit a doctor and he

takes a blood sample from your body, he takes it to the lab where he

performs experiments on it to establish if you are suffering from

certain diseases that your symptoms indicate you could be suffering

from.

Scientifically speaking, there are a couple of terms used while performing

experiments that you must understand. You will find them very applicable

in life because they will make it easy for you to document your experiments

Five things you must include in your experiment report

1. Apparatus

2. Requirements

3. Setup /Procedure

4. Results

5. Inference

Experiments are fun. They sharpen your mind and give you a memorable

proof of concepts. Without experiments science would be so hard to

understand.

This book contains 20 interesting experiments you can perform at home to

experience science.

The apparatus and requirements used in these experiments are common

domestic appliances or simple items found in your home. You don’t have to

worry about accidents because these are FRIENDLY EXPERIEMENTS.

EXPERIMENT 1. FLIP A GLASS OF WATER UPSIDE

DOWN WITHOUT POURING THE WATER

You always pour water from a glass by flipping it upside down but this time

round the water will not pour! Try this out.

Apparatus

1. A simple glass

2. A card board. (A flat card made of paper would do just fine)

Requirements

1. Water

Procedure

1) Pour water in to the glass until its ¾ full

2) Cover the glass top with your cardboard

3) Place your palm over the cardboard and flip the glass over making

sure that it is held perfectly in an upside down position.

4) Remove the palm from the card and watch what happens!

Results

The water didn’t pour. The card remained in place. There was an empty

space above the water inside the glass.

Inferences

Maybe you thought a ghost replaced your hand but that was not the case.

The water did not pour because of air pressure. May be you have had heard

of air pressure before but didn’t know what that was. Well, here is the truth

about air pressure.

The air around you is not just idle air. It has got some pressure in it because

there are other layers of gasses sitting on it. This pressure is so important

because it helps you breath easily!

Air pressure acting upwards underneath the card is more than the total

pressure of water in the glass, weight of the card and the air trapped inside

the glass. The external air pressure being greater than the total pressure

offered by the gravitational pull on the glass keeps the card in place.

That tells you that indeed, the air around you is under pressure and that the

pressure is really not negligible as you may have thought.

EXPERIMENT 2. FLOATING A NEEDLE ON WATER

Metal is denser than water and it will always sink in water. I am about to

show you that this is not always the case.

Apparatus

1. A bowl of tap water- (don’t use purified water like bottled water or

Water from purifiers as this water has been modified)

2. A thin ply of tissue paper

3. A basic sewing needle

Procedure

1) Place the thin ply tissue gently on the water surface

2) Place the needle gently on the thin ply tissue

3) Leave the bow undisturbed as you watch and wait for two to five

minutes.

Results

After some time, the tissue soaks in water and sinks but the needle remains

floating on the water.

Inferences

This tells you that there must be some kind of skin on the water on which

the needle was lying on and yes you are right. But to sound more like a

scientist you call that skin Surface Tension.

Surface tension is usually as a result of cohesive forces between the water

molecules. In simple terms, water molecules tend to pull each other equally

and in all directions. However, because at the surface of the water the

molecules have an exposed surface, they pull sideways forming a somehow

strong invisible web known as surface tension.

Watch natural effects of surface tension here:

Visit a natural water body like a pool or a dam and seat by its banks on a

cool quiet day. Watch its surface closely for skidding insects. You may be

lucky to notice an insect comfortably standing on the water surface

without sinking

Take a walk one early morning when there is dew on vegetation around

you. Observe the water droplets on the leaves and see that it is shaped as a

perfect ball and does not even wet the leaves.

EXPERIMENT 3. RULLER APPEARS BROKEN IN A

GLASS OF WATER

After this experiment you will be left wondering whether your eyes are as

true as you have always thought them to be. Go ahead and see for yourself.

Apparatus

1. A clear glass

2. A ruler ( any other straight object may be used)

Requirements

1. water

Procedure

2. Pour water in to the glass until it is ¾ full

3. Place it on a flat surface in a well-lit area

4. Insert the ruler in the glass

5. Observe the ruler from any side of the glass

6. Observe the ruler from the glass top

7. Remove the ruler from it and inspect it closely

Results

On observing the ruler from any side of the glass, it appears broken. When

0bserved from the glass top, it appears bent but on removing it from the

water and looking at it critically, it is just as it was at the beginning of the

experiment.

Inferences

The real cause of this visual illusion is what scientists call Density

difference. Before I can explain what this means, I would like to bring to

your attention an important fact. Here it is “Air is a fluid”.

When you poured water in to the glass and thought it was half empty, well

you were wrong but don’t worry because you are not alone. Many people

always think it is usually half empty.

The other half is usually overflowing with air though invisibly. As we

agreed before, air is a fluid. The difference between air and water is that

water is denser than air.

The ruler “breaks” at the interface of the two fluids because you are

observing from a region oh high density to a region of low density or vice

vasa.

The same way your fingers appear shorter in water, or a spoon appears

closer to the surface than it really is.

Moral lesson of this experiment:

If someone tells you to jump in to a pool that appears shallow because you

can actually see its base, think again because what you can see is

apparent depth. It could be much deeper than you could even imagine.

EXPERIMENT 4. PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY

EXPERIMENT

Did you know that any paint is made up of many colors that would be

separated using a simple absorbent paper? Well, before you can agree, do it

yourself. Here is how to go about it.

Apparatus

1. A pestle and motor( You could also improvise, take a small glass or

ceramic bowl and a wooden serving spoon with a fairly round handle)

2. A Dropper (A straw would do just fine)

3. A sieve

4. A glass

Requirements

1. Piece of tissue or a filter paper( any absorbent paper will be good)

2. A handful flower petals

3. Surgical or general purpose spirit

Procedure

1. Crash the flower petals in your motor using the pestle.

2. Add 1 full bottle-lid of spirit to the crashed flowers and continue

crashing to form a pulp.

3. Strain the pulp using the sieve to collect about 10 drops of a colored

liquid.

4. Place your tissue or filter paper over a glass mouth.

5. Insert the straw in the colored liquid and block the top of the straw

with your thumb.

6. Carefully lift a drop of the colored liquid using the straw and drop it at

the center of your filter paper.

7. Wait for two minutes for the color to spread. Meanwhile, clean the

straw and dry it completely.

8. Pick a drop of spirit and drop it right at the middle of the colored

patch.

9. Wait for ten minutes before dropping a second drop at the center of the

colured patch.

10. Wait for ten more minutes and observe.

Results

Upon placing the drop of paint, it spreads uniformly across the surface of

the paper. Upon adding spirit on to the colured region, the paint spreads

farther forming concentric rings of various colors.

Inferences

This experiment Cleary proofs that indeed a color is made up of many more

colors. The spirit was used because it’s a better solvent than water

otherwise water would still be used but may not bring rings as clear as the

ones obtained with spirit.

Note that the color that is on the outermost ring is the most soluble while

that closest to the center is the least soluble.

After this experiment, you must remember to do the following:

1. Immediately, clean the apparatus used with a lot of water and soap

to avoid staining them

2. Place the paper chromatogram in the sun to dry and frame it. It is

one of the most beautiful natural pieces of art you could ever have.

EXPERIMENT 5. BURNING CANDLE AIR

DISPLACEMENT EXPERIMENT

This is the best way to play with fire. You will actually learn volumes and

not get hurt. Enjoy.

Apparatus

1. A shallow plate

2. A clear glass

Requirements

1. A candle (Your candle must be shorter than the glass)

2. A matchbox

Procedure

1. Light the candle and pour some molten wax on the plate.

2. Place the candle on the molten wax so that it sticks to the plate.

3. Gently fill the plate with water and make sure the candle remains

stack to the plate. You can hold it with one hand as you pour the

water.

4. Cover the burning candle with the glass.

5. Observe what happens.

Results

The candle continues to burn for a few minutes, fades off gradually and

then go off completely. As soon as the candle is off, water is sucked up the

glass.

Inferences

What actually happened is that the burning candle consumed oxygen which

makes about 21% of the air in the glass. As oxygen diminished so did the

flame until all the oxygen was consumed and the flame went off. With the

space that the consumed oxygen was occupying now empty, water gushed

in to the glass to replace it.

The space can’t remain empty because the air pressure outside the glass

would not allow vacuum to exist naturally. It is actually as a result of the air

pressure action that water is pushed in to the glass.

This experiment confirms that combustion uses up oxygen and again that

air pressure is a naturally existing force.

EXPERIMENT 6. FRESH EGG FLOATING AND

SINKING IN DIFFERENT WATERS

Before you can consume your fresh egg in an omelet or may be use it to

make a scrumptious pancake, here is an interesting way you could use it to

proof scientific facts.

Apparatus

1. A glass

2. A spoon

Requirements

1. Four table spoons of salt

2. Fresh water

3. A fresh egg (One that is not expired)

Procedure

1. Pour some water in to the glass until it is half full.

2. Gently place your egg in the glass and observe.

3. Remove the egg from the glass and add the salt in to the glass.

4. Stir with the spoon to dissolve as much salt as is possible.

5. Gently place the egg in to the salty water and observe.

Results

When placed in fresh water the egg sinks but on adding salt to the water the

egg floats.

Inference

Fresh water is less dense than salty water. That is why in fresh water the

density of the egg slightly exceeds that of the water and thus the egg sinks.

However, on adding salt, the density of the water increases beyond that of

the egg and therefore the egg floats.

EXPERIMENT 7. PLANT GROWING TOWARDS A

HOLE

This experiment will not only answer some of the questions you have in

mind but it will also improve your skills in agriculture. You will need to do

some planting and you may also have to wait for two weeks to observe the

results.

Apparatus

1. Two containers

2. one carton

3. A nail

4. A hammer

Requirements

1. Soil

2. 2 corn seeds

3. 2 bean seeds

4. A pair of scissors

5. water

Procedure

1. Make four holes on the bottom of each container using the nail.

2. Plant a corn seed and a bean seed in each of the two containers and

water them sparingly.

3. Make 2cm square hole on one side of the carton.

4. Cover one of the containers with the carton ensuring that the

container is placed at center of the cartoon.

5. Leave the other container uncovered.

6. Make sure that the two setups are placed away from any form of

disturbance.

7. Water the two plants after every two days for the next two weeks and

observe the result at the end of the final week.

Results

The four plants germinate. The plants in the open container are green and

healthy with green stems of ordinary length. They also exhibit upright

growth. The plants from the covered setup are discolored (Not green). Their

stems are unusually long and they tend to bend towards the hole.

Inference

You just confirmed that light is not necessary for germination but it is vital

for the formation of chlorophyll in plants. Chlorophyll is the substance

that makes plants green. You have also witnessed that plants will always

tend to grow toward a source of light. This behavior is known as

Phototaxis.

EXPERIMENT 8. WATER RISING IN A STRAW

You wouldn’t imagine that this simple experiment demonstrates how

plants are able to absorb water from the soil. Be keen to note how natural

this is.

Apparatus

1. Clear glass

2. Clear straw

Requirements

1. Water

2. Ink or food color

Procedure

1. Pour water in to the glass until it is ¾ full.

2. Place a drop of ink or a pinch of food color in to the water and stir to

distribute the color evenly.

3. Insert a straw in the colored water and observe.

Results

The level of water in the straw tends to be higher than that in the glass.

Inference

This is as a result of a scientific phenomenon known as capillarity. If you

are wondering what capillarity is, I hope this helps. Capillarity is the ability

of liquids to rise in thin tubes against gravity and without the assistance of

any external forces whatsoever.

It is so important for you to witness this because you now know how plants

take up water from the soil though this is not the only way.

EXPERIMENT 9. OSMOSIS EXPERIMENT

Did you know that nature tries to create equilibrium whatever the cost?

This experiment proves just how serious this can be.

Apparatus

1. 2 glasses

2. Knife

Requirements

1. 4 table spoons full of salt

2. Water

3. 2 potatoes

Procedure

1. Peel the potatoes carefully and chop them into four halves.

2. Put water in one glass and add the salt.

3. Stir to dissolve as much salt as possible.

4. Place two potatoes pieces in the salty water.

5. Pour fresh water in the second glass and place the remaining two

pieces of potatoes in the glass.

6. Leave the experiment for 10 hours.

7. Remove the potatoes from each of the two glasses and observe.

Results

The potato pieces from salty water becomes soft and flaccid .The potato

pieces from fresh water becomes hard and rigid.

Inferences

Osmosis is to blame .So what exactly is osmosis? This is basically the

movement of water from a region of high concentration to a region of low

concentration across a semipermeable membrane. What exactly happened

was that water from the potatoes moved in to the very salty water to try and

dilute it hence the potatoes became soft and flaccid since they lost so much

water. On the other hand in the second experiment, water moved from the

glass in to the potatoes to try and dilute the minerals in the potatoes. This

made the potato pieces to swell and become rigid.

EXPERIMENT 10. ROTTING BREAD EXPERIMENT

When people eat food that has gone bad they may have aching stomach,

diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, bloody stool and sometimes can even cause

death. This experiment is to help you discover how food goes bad and how

to prevent that.

Apparatus

1. 3 saucers

2. Fridge

Requirements

1. 3 slices of bread

2. Water

Procedure

1. Place each slice of bread on its own saucer.

2. Pour a spoonful of water on one slice of bread and place it on the shelf.

3. Place the second slice of bread plan as it is on the shelf.

4. Place the third slice of bread in the fridge (preferably freezer

compartment).

5. Leave the experiment for a week.

6. Examine the three slices closely making sure to smell each of them.

Results

The wet slice has a lot of blue- green material growing on it. It also has a

rotting pungent odor. The plain slice does not have much of the green

material and does not smell as much rotten as the wet slice. The third slice

from the fridge smells fresh and has no blue-green material on it.

Inferences

The blue-green material is actually known as molds. Molds grow from

fungi. Fungi are microorganisms that are found everywhere. There are

definitely some on your skin as you are reading this! But you don’t have to

worry about that. I will tell you why in a moment.

The fungi can only glow in to molds, which are poisonous and toxic, if they

are exposed to the right conditions for growth. These conditions are:

a. Availability of moisture

b. Warmth

c. Nutrients

The reason why they won’t glow on your warm moist skin is because your

skin is so tough and is not even a substrate. The mold was rampant on the

wet slice because the moisture facilitated their growth. The other plain slice

had molds though not as much but since there is water vapor in the air, and

due to the fact that it was exposed to room temperature, mold grew on it

too. The final slice did not have molds because it was in a very cold

environment.

The reason why you are told to place foodstuff in a cool dry place is to

discourage the fungi from growing on them.

EXPERIMENT 11. DIFFUSION EXPERIMENT

Like children disperse everywhere in the field during play time, so is

diffusion. There is a more scientific way however of observing this

phenomenon in action. This experiment will take you through successfully.

Apparatus

a. A medium clear Bowl

b. A straw

Requirements

a. Water

b. A drop of colored ink

Procedure

1. Pour water in the medium bowl.

2. Pick a drop of ink using a straw and place it in the water carefully at

the bottom of the bowl.

3. Observe the movement of the colored ink.

Results

The ink disperses in water and colors the water evenly. This occurs without

stirring the liquid.

Inference

The ink dispersed in the process of diffusion. Scientifically, diffusion is

the process by which molecules move from a region of high concentration

to a region of low concentration .This explains why you are able to smell

mangos several meters away while shopping in a store.

EXPERIMENT 12. HOW TO CALCULATE THE

VOLUME OF AN IRREGULAR OBJECT USING THE

DISPLACEMENT METHOD

Volume simply means how much material something is made up of or how

much it can hold. Imagine someone asked you how much ceramic is used to

make your tea mug? The best way to calculate its volume would be to

perform this experiment.

Apparatus

1. Calibrated jug

2. A large bowl

3. A ceramic mug (or any other irregular object

Requirements

1. Water

2. A pen and a writing pad

Procedure

1. Place the jug in the bowl.

2. Pour water in to the jug until it’s full to the brim.

3. Gently place the ceramic mug in the measuring jug until it sinks.

4. Lift the measuring jug from the bowl carefully so as not to spill any

more water.

5. Remove the ceramic mug and empty the measuring jug.

6. Measure the volume of water that overflows in to the bowl and record

it on your notepad.

Results

When the ceramic mug is placed in the jug, water overflows and stops once

the mug sinks.

Inference

The volume you wrote down on your notepad is the actually volume of the

ceramic that has been used to make your tea mug. In this experiment you

have just proved that matter occupies space. That is why the mug displaced

all the water occupying the space in which it sunk.

You are so close to knowing how to find the density of a material! If you

were to weigh the weight of your object you can calculate the density by

dividing the obtained mass by the obtained volume. However, you must

note that if you decide to use cm3 as your unit of measurement, the weight

should be in grams.

For larger objects you may want to take the volume in M3. Be sure to

convert the mass in to kilograms too.

EXPERIMENT 13. REFLECTION OF LIGHT

Mirrors help you to see how you look. Without a mirror you would never

have seen yourself. Wouldn’t that be sad? But how do mirrors function?

This experiment will give you a good idea of how this happens.

Apparatus

1. A mirror

2. A torch

Procedure

1. Hold a lit touch facing downwards

2. Place the mirror below its light and tilt it towards a dark wall

3. Observe what happens

Results

The wall becomes bright as though the torch was point in its direction.

Inference

The reason why the wall is lit is because of reflection. Reflection is

scientifically defied as the bouncing back of light. Light may be considered

as a wave. When waves meet a barrier, they bounce back.

The ability of light to bounce back is what makes it possible for you to view

yourself in a mirror. If you tried looking in to a mirror in the dark, you

would not see anything because there is no light coming from you.

EXPERIMENT 14. EXPANSION OF OBJECTS

Do you know why electric cables sag in hot weather? Before I can give you

the story behind it you need to see something for yourself. It’s all in this

experiment.

Apparatus

1. A Nail

2. A Hammer

3. A Metal Can

4. A pair of pliers

Requirements

1. A source of heat

Procedure

1. Make a hole on the back of the metal can using the nail.

2. Pull the nail out of the hole making sure that you twist it to enlarge

the hole just for the nail to move through it easily.

3. Hold the nail safely with the pliers and heat it until tis red hot.

4. Try putting it through the hole in the can.

5. Dip the nail in water until it cools completely.

6. Try putting it through the hole.

Results

The nail does not go through the hole after it’s heated.

Inference

Heat causes matter to expand. There is a more scientific way of explaining

this that focuses on molecular energy and vibrations but we will get to that

in our more complex experiments.

A simple way to explain what happened is that the nail expanded after

heating and thus could not go through the hole. However, upon cooling it, it

returned to its original size and was able to go through the hole once again.

EXPERIMENT 15. INERTIA FORCE

Do you ever wonder why when the car you are traveling in suddenly stops;

you tend to be thrown to the front? This happens because of the inertia

force. For you to understand what inertia is all about you need to perform

this simple experiment.

Apparatus

1. A block of wood

2. A bottle top

Procedure

1. Place the bottle top on the block of wood.

2. Move the block at a very high speed on a flat surface and then stop

suddenly.

3. Observe what happens to the bottle top.

Results

The bottle top tends to be thrown to the front. It actually tends to continue

moving even after the block of wood has stopped.

Inference

This occurs due to the force of inertia. Inertia is scientifically described as

the tendency of a moving object to resist stopping or a stagnant object to

resist movement.

Evidently, the bottle top ignores the fact that the block has stopped moving

and it continues moving by its own. Inertia may be advantageous but one of

the most feared effects of inertia is the tendency to proliferate the effects of

a collision in car accidents. That is why all vehicles are fitted with safety

belts to counter inertia force that is always present in case of an accident.

EXPERIMENT 16. SEPARATING SOLUBLE

SUBSTANCES THROUGH EVAPORATION

Have you ever wondered where table salt comes from? It comes from salty

water. How is it possible to separate the salt from water or to make sugar

from sugarcane syrup? This experiment will show you just how simple this

is.

Apparatus

1. A cooking pan

2. A heat source

3. A glass

4. A spoon

5. Sieve

Requirements

1. Salt

2. Water

Procedure

1. Fill the glass with water until it is half full

2. Add two spoons of salt and stir to dissolve as much salt as possible

3. Sieve the salty solution in to the cooking pan making sure to remove

all the salt that does not dissolve.

4. Heat the pan and leave the salty solution to evaporate to dryness.

5. Observe the base of the cooking pan keenly.

Results

On heating the pan the salty solution boils and eventually evaporates

leaving a white powdery substance behind.

Inference

This white substance is the salt that had dissolved in the water. This

method of separating substances is known as evaporation it may also be

used to increase the concentration of dissolved substances.

EXPERIMENT 17. MAKING HOMEMADE

INDICATOR

If you have been dismissing those bougainvillea or hibiscus flowers as

simple decorations, well here is an experiment to show you just how.

Apparatus

1. Motor and pestle (you could improvise by using a bowl and a rounded

rolling pin).

2. Sieve

3. Glass

Requirements

1. A handful of hibiscus or bougainvillea flowers

2. General purpose spirit

Procedure

1. Add the petals in the motor and class them using a pestle.

2. Add some spirit and continue crashing to obtain a deep colured

solution.

3. Sieve to separate the solution from the petals.

4. Place the deep colored solution the glass.

Results

On crashing the petals a deep colored purple solution was obtained

Inferences

I must begin by informing you that an indicator is a substance that is

used to distinguish between acids and bases. There are some strips that are

known as litmus paper that are used in laboratories as indicator but if you

have no access to them you must have another way of telling which is one is

an acid and which one is a base.

The deep colored solution that you obtained would work just fine. With

bases, it would turn to deep purple. Some even say it becomes darker. With

acids on the other hand, it turns in to a warm-red color.

EXPERIMENT 18. SOFT AND HARD WATER

Did you know that we have soft and hard water? These terms may sound

technical but to understand what the difference between the two water

types is, carry on with this experiment.

Apparatus

1. Two clear glasses

2. A spoon

3. A cooking pan

4. A heat source

Requirements

1. Water

2. Salt

3. Powder detergent

Procedure

1. Add water to the two glasses until they are ¾ full.

2. Add one spoon of salt to one glass and stir to dissolve all the salt.

3. Add a pinch of powered detergent to each of the two glasses and stir to

see how much foam is formed in each of them.

4. Pour the salty solution in to the cooking pan and heat for one minute.

5. Return the solution to the glass and stir to see how much foam is

formed.

Results

1. The salty water forms a scam on its surface instead of foam. On

warming it forms foam. The fresh water forms form without heating.

Inferences

Hard water is water that contains a lot of dissolved minerals. It does not

leather easily. Soft water is water with little or no minerals at all. Heating

hard water softens it making it easier to use for cleaning purposes.

EXPERIMENT 19. STATES OF MATTER

There are only three states of matter; solids liquids and gasses. Most

substances go through the three states of matter but there are some that

skip the liquid phase. At this level we are only going to focus on those that

go through the three states. Here is an experiment to show you what states

of matter are.

Apparatus

1. Cooking pan with a lid

2. A source of heat

Requirements

1. Ice cubes

Procedure

2. Place the ice cubes in the cooking pan.

3. Heat the pan until the ice cubes turn in to water.

4. Continue heating with the cover in place.

5. Lift the lid and collect the droplets of water on it.

6. Place the droplets collected in the freezer and leave for 30 minutes.

Results

On heating the ice cube they melt to form a liquid. On further heating the

liquid starts to boil and steam is seen to rise from the boiling water. On

freezing the droplets from the lead, ice is obtained.

Inferences

The ice cubes are in a state of matter known as solid. On heating they

change from solid to liquid in a process known as melting. On further

heating the liquid turns in to a gas (water vapor) in a process known as

evaporation.

The droplets on the lid were from the vapor. They formed on the lid in a

process known as condensation because the lid was cool. on further

cooling( in the freezer) the liquid turned in to solid in a process known as

freezing.

This process is a cycle. We began with solid ice cubes and we have been able

to get our ice cubes back.

EXPERIMENT 20. MAGNETS POLES BEHAVIOR

Well well, do you have two magnets? If not, you can buy them from your

nearest store and if they don’t have, look for an old spoilt electronic device

that nobody uses any more. Break it and obtain the speaker. That dark grey

ring is actually a magnet! Extract it carefully and break it in to two halves.

Now you have your two magnets! Let’s proceed with the magic tricks of

magnets.

Apparatus

1. Two magnets

2. A campus

3. A thread

4. felt pen

Procedure

1. Tie one of the magnets with a thread and suspend it in the air.

2. Fling it with your finger and wait for it stop swing

3. Note which side points to the north and label it N and which one

points to the south and label it S

4. Repeat the three steps with the second magnet

5. Place two north poles of the two magnets close together and observe

6. Place the two south poles close together and observe

7. Place the south pole close to the north pole and observe

Results

Any like poles repel, unlike poles attract.

Inference

You have just proved one law of magnetism that states: “like poles

attract while unlike poles repel.” this behavior is exhibited because

dipole resist change in orientation. This may sound complex to understand

but as homework, read more about magnets. Its lots of fun.

CONCLUSION

I hope you have enjoyed these experiments. You have definitely learnt a lot

and as a matter of fact you may want to consider yourself a scientist. A good

way to remind you about these experiments is to record them and save

them as video clips.

You may also want to teach others how to perform these experiments.

Sharing your knowledge only makes you brighter. Furthermore, a candle

does not lose its light by lighting another.

Thank You, and more…

Thank you for spending your time to read this book, I hope now

you hold a greater knowledge about 20 FUN EXPERIMENTS

YOU CAN DO AT HOME.

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There are like-minded individuals like you who would like to learn

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