SCIENCE

From The Wormhole
SCIENCE
PART I: THE PORTAL

COMPASS

Tilly made a compass to find the directions in the room with the picture of a cave

Materials: sewing needle, magnet, piece of cork, bowl

STEP ONE: Fill bowl ¾ full of water

STEP TWO: Place cork in center of water

STEP THREE: Rub the magnet along the needle from eye to point, 20 times

STEP FOUR: Place needle on top of cork

When it is done bobbing it will be pointing north.

Use a regular compass to see if it worked

What’s up? A compass works by detecting the Earth’s magnetic fields. 

This compass is a light weight magnetized needle, on a free floating pivot. 

Since opposites attract the southern pole of the needle is attracted to 

the Earth’s magnetic north pole.

DRAG 

After the cloth opened and fluttered to the ground. Tilly used drag to assist her when she tried to toss the burial cloth.

Materials: two pieces of 8 ½ by 11 paper

STEP ONE: Crumple one piece of paper

STEP TWO: Extend arms at shoulder level

STEP THREE: Hold flat paper in one hand

STEP FOUR: Hold crumpled paper in the other

STEP FIVE: Drop both pieces at the same time

Which hit the ground first?

STEP SIX: Repeat steps two and three and four

STEP SEVEN: Toss paper toward another person

Which was easier to control?

What’s up? Drag slows an object’s movement through the air. The flat paper had more drag, so it fell at a slower speed, even though the two paper objects had the same weight

PART II: The Coin

LAYER LIQUIDS

How did Hadji Ali, the Amazing Regurgitator layer liquids?

Materials: 1/3 cup measuring cup, pancake syrup,
cooking oil, water, clear drinking glass

STEP ONE: Pour 1/3 cup syrup into the glass

STEP TWO: Pour 1/3 cup oil into the glass

STEP THREE: Pour 1/3 cup water into the glass

What’s up? Density causes liquids to form layers by weight of the liquid.

FLIP IT

How did Tilly get the coin into her hand?

Materials: cup, 3x5 index card, penny

STEP ONE: Place the index card across the top of the cup

STEP TWO: Place the penny in the middle of the index card

STEP THREE: Form a circle with thumb and index finger

STEP FOUR: Lower your thumb, releasing index finger

 Flick the edge of the index card

What’s up? Newton’s First Law of Motion

states that an object tends stay at rest unless an outside force acts on it.
When you flick the card it moves away while gravity, an outside force,
pulls the penny into the glass

DROP IT

For a more spectacular demonstration try this

Materials: 3 drinking glasses, water, pie pan,
     3 cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls, 3 eggs, broom, table

STEP ONE: Fill the glasses ¾ full of water.

STEP TWO:  Stack up the materials at edge of table, using steps 3-7

STEP THREE: Arrange the glasses in a triangle, touching in the middle

STEP FOUR: Place the pie plate on top of the glasses

STEP FIVE: Arrange the cardboard tube so the opening on the bottom is
directly over a glass of water. 

STEP SIX: Repeat with the other 2 cardboard tubes

STEP SEVEN: Balance an egg in the top of each cardboard tube

STEP EIGHT: Make certain the edge of the pie pan is at edge of table

STEP NINE: Stand the broom at the edge of the table so that the handle
touches the pie pan. The bristles should be on the floor

STEP TEN:  Step on the bristles of the broom to hold it in place.

STEP ELEVEN: Pull back the broom handle toward you and then release it
so the broom hits the edge of pie pan.

If done correctly, the eggs should drop into the glasses without breaking.

STATIC ELECTRICITY
When Tilly touched the doorknob of Auntie Gabby’s house she felt a tingle. 
This was due to static electricity.

Materials: balloon

STEP ONE: Blow up and tie a balloon

STEP TWO: Rub the balloon on your hair

STEP THREE: Place balloon on wall, let go

The balloon should stick to the wall

What’s Up?  When two objects are rubbed together one will lose electrons

and the other will gain them.  This can create static electricity.

The static electricity on the balloon is strong enough to attract the wall.

PART III: Quicksilver

ELECTROMAGNET
Melinda used an electromagnet to pick up the pieces of the meteor

Materials: nail, wire, D battery, paper clips, wire cutters or scissors

STEP ONE: Remove the insulation from each end of the wire

STEP TWO: Wrap the wire around the nail 20 times 

STEP THREE: Attach the wires to the battery, one on each end

STEP FOUR: Place paper clips on table

STEP FIVE: Touch the end of the nail to the paper clips

What’s up? As the electricity flows through the wire,

it stirs up electrons creating a magnetic field.

MOMEMTUM

How did Tilly get the ball out from under the throne?

MATERIALS: 2 yardsticks, tape, 6 marbles

STEP ONE: Make a track: tape the ends of the yardsticks to a

tabletop parallel to each other, ½ inch apart. 

STEP TWO: Put 5 marbles in the middle of the track

STEP THREE:  Place one marble near the end of the track

STEP FOUR: Flick the single  marble so it rolls into the others

STEP FIVE: Put 4 marbles in the middle of the track and

the remaining 2 marbles near the end of the track

STEP SIX: Flick the 2 marbles so they roll into the others

STEP SEVEN: Try other combinations of resting marbles and

marbles that are rolled into them

What’s up? Momentum can be transferred. When the moving object

hits another object it loses its momentum and stops. 

The object that was hit gains momentum and begins to move.

QUICKSAND

Lonnie was panicked when he fell into quicksand.

Try making a substance with the properties of quicksand.

Materials: cornstarch, water, measuring cup, bowl, spoon

STEP ONE: In the bowl, combine 1 cup water and 1 ¼ cups cornstarch

to form a mixture that looks like heavy whipping cream and has

the consistency of honey

STEP TWO: After making the mixture, gently poke your finger through

the surface of the cornstarch-water mixture. 

STEP THREE: Try punching the cornstarch-water mixture 

What’s up? Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid. 

It does not behave the same way liquids do.

When you punch the mixture it disturbs the cornstarch-water mixture

and changes it into a more cement like form.

PART IV: Foo Fighters

SNOW GLOBE

Auntie Margie said that the poltergeists became intolerable and one day she and Bruno “... were awakened when the house rotated back and forth and objects swirled around the room.  It was as if we were inside a huge snow globe.”  

MATERIALS: Jar with lid that seals tightly, plastic figurine, water,

KARO light corn syrup, glitter, spoon

STEP ONE:  Add water to the jar

STEP TWO: Add a small amount of light KARO syrup

STEP THREE: Add glitter and plastic figurine, stir

STEP FOUR: Add more water so the jar is filled

STEP FIVE: Place lid on jar 

STEP SIX: Turn jar over 

Shake to activate snow globe

WHAT’S UP? The denser a liquid is, the easier it is for an object to float

Corn syrup is denser than water.  So the glitter will fall more slowly.   

CONDUCT ELECTRICITY

In “The Coin”, Lonnie used the wooden handle of the parasol to
stop the flow of electricity.  

In “Foo Fighters”, Tilly and Melinda used their belts to prevent them from getting a shock from the electrical wires.

Materials: 2 D batteries, three insulated wires with clips on both ends,

small light bulb with holder, masking tape or battery holders miscellaneous objects for testing

STEP ONE: Plug light bulb into light bulb holder

STEP TWO: Tape or use battery holder to keep the batteries together, so they are end to end:negative (-) to positive (+) touching  

STEP THREE: Clip one wire to the light bulb holder

STEP FOUR: Clip the other end of the wire to one of the batteries

STEP FIVE: Clip the second wire to opposite side of light bulb holder

STEP SIX: Clip the third wire to the opposite side of the batteries

STEP SEVEN: Complete a circle by clipping different objects between

the free ends of wires

Did the light bulb light?

If it lights, the object is a conductor

If it doesn’t light, the object is an insulator

What’s up? With a conductor, electrical current can flow freely through

the object you use.  You have made a circuit.

With an insulator the current cannot flow

BALLOON ROCKET

Tilly and Melinda travel across the electrical wire when CO2 was released

from the fire extinguisher.

Materials: long balloon, straw, tape, 10 foot long string

STEP ONE: Tie one end of the string to a doorknob 

STEP TWO: Thread the string through the straw

STEP THREE: Blow up the balloon, don’t tie, hold the end

STEP FOUR: Tape the balloon to the straw by laying tape over the

top of the straw and balloon 

STEP FIVE: Extend the string

STEP SIX: Move the straw/balloon to one end of the string

STEP SEVEN: Let go of the end of the balloon

What’s up?  As the air leaves the balloon it creates thrust

that propels the straw forward.  Newton’s third law of motion.

FIRST - Make CO2

The fire extinguisher that Tilly used was a carbon dioxide extinguisher. 

MATERIALS vinegar, baking soda, water, glass, scissors,

Raisins cut into fourths 

STEP ONE: Put ¾ cup of water into the glass

STEP TWO: Add 1 t baking soda to glass, stir

STEP THREE: Add ¼ cup vinegar

STEP FOUR: Drop raisins into mixture

WHAT’S UP?  The vinegar and baking soda combine to make

carbon dioxide gas CO2 which is heavier than oxygen

The bubbles are CO2 that form around the raisins and

bring them to the surface.

When they reach the top of the glass, the bubbles are released

into the air, and the raisins drop back to the bottom

SECOND - USE CO2

Tilly used a fire extinguisher to propel herself and Melinda across

electrical wires connecting two buildings.

MATERIALS: empty water bottle, 5 tablespoons vinegar, funnel

½ tablespoon baking soda, small candle

STEP ONE: Use funnel to pour vinegar & baking soda into bottle

STEP TWO: Place the candle on a desk

Light the candle

STEP THREE: Hold the bottle sideways over the candle. 

Do not allow the liquid to escape.

What’s Up? The vinegar and baking soda combine to make

carbon dioxide gas CO2 which is heavier than oxygen. 

As the gas is released from the bottle

it pushes the oxygen away from the candle. 

Since the fire no longer has oxygen, it burns out.