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Science At Home - The Mpemba Effect
Have you ever heard of the Mpemba Effect? In this episode of Science At Home, we take advantage of a cold Saskatchewan winter day to put the Mpemba Effect to the test.
Have you ever heard of the Mpemba Effect? It’s the name given to the idea that hot water freezes faster than cold water - something that Tanzanian student Erasto Mpemba observed in 1963. In this episode of Science At Home, we take advantage of a cold Saskatchewan winter day to put the Mpemba Effect to the test.
Try this experiment for yourself, and share your results below, or in the comments section of YouTube.
Would you like to learn more about the Mpemba Effect? Here’s a great writeup in the journal Nature.
In 2012, the Royal Society of Chemistry offered £1000 for the best and most creative explanation of the Mpemba Effect. They awarded the prize to Nikola Bregovic, at the time a research assistant at the University of Zagreb. The Royal Society of Chemistry has a wonderful article that details the contest, Mr. Bregovic’s winning entry, and the original paper written on the Mpemba Effect by Erasto Mpemba and Denis Osborne in 1969.
Did you find this helpful? Consider making a donation to the Saskatchewan Science Centre!
Science At Home - Make A Useless Machine
We often celebrate those who create the most incredible and amazing projects - but sometimes the truly incredible projects are those that are fun and get people hooked on making.
Follow along as Ryan builds a Useless Machine!
The Maker movement incorporates everything from costumes to woodworking and architecture to electronics. We often celebrate those who create the most incredible and amazing projects - but sometimes the truly incredible projects are those that are fun and help get people hooked on making.
At the Atom + Geek Science Shop, we have a Maker kit that is uniquely Saskatchewan - the Useless Machine! Follow along as Ryan builds a Useless Machine!
It’s a great project to do all alone or with a friend or child, and it’s great for a first project or just a fun way to spend an evening.
Looking for something a little more custom? Solder an LED across the motor terminals so that it lights up when the motor runs. Or, use it to trigger a program on an Arduino and have it play a random sound!
Get your very own Useless Machine at the Atom + Geek Science Shop, or buy online!
Did you find this helpful? Consider making a donation to the Saskatchewan Science Centre!
Science At Home - Defy Gravity
Can you defy gravity at home? Find out with this awesome spinning tray science demonstration!
Can you defy gravity at home? Find out with this awesome spinning tray science demonstration!
Centripetal and centrifugal force are often confused with each other. Centripetal force was described by Isaac Newton as "a force by which bodies are drawn or impelled, or in any way tend, towards a point as to a centre". In Newtonian mechanics, gravity provides the centripetal force causing astronomical orbits.
Imagine an object moving in a straight line away from a fixed point. If you connected the two with a string, the object would begin to circle the fixed point. Centripetal force is directed along the radius of the circle (the string) and at right angles to the motion (toward the fixed point).
It can be confusing, but think of it this way: as we spin the tray, the force TOWARD your hand along the string is centripetal force. That force is what keeps the cup in the tray and the water in the cup.
Centrifugal force is an apparent force that describes how you would feel if you were standing on the tray (or hanging off the side of a merry-go-round). It is actually the same force as centripetal force, but experienced in the opposite direction.
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Science At Home - Cartesian Diver
Are you controlling the ketchup packet with magic? Or is it science?
Are you controlling the ketchup packet with magic? Or is it science?
This demonstration has nothing to do with magical powers - it’s 100% science! We’re using water and the ketchup packet to demonstrate buoyancy and density.
Inside the ketchup packet is an air bubble. When the ketchup package is floating, it’s density is less than the density of the water. When you squeeze the bottle, you are also compressing the air bubble inside the packet. This increases the density of the ketchup packet and causes it to sinks to the bottom!
The classic Cartesian Diver demonstration use a glass eye dropper and was named after Rene Descartes, a French scientist and mathematician.
If the packet doesn’t float, you can change the density of the WATER by adding salt!
Continue exploring density! We’ve done other demonstrations that explore the density of water - check out those video here:
Salt Water Density: https://www.sasksciencecentre.com/real-science-real-fun/science-at-home-salt-water-density
Self-Crushing Can: https://www.sasksciencecentre.com/real-science-real-fun/self-crushing-can
Water Lifting Candle: https://www.sasksciencecentre.com/real-science-real-fun/2020/4/06/science-at-home-water-lifting-candle
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Science At Home - Salt Water Density
This demonstration uses fresh and salt water to explore density by observing how colors do or do not combine with each other! Check it out!
Density is a measure of mass per volume. Items that are more dense have more mass per unit of volume than items that are less dense.
For example, one cup of freshwater has less mass than one cup of salt water. This is because the salt adds mass to the water. Fresh water will float on top of salt water because fresh water has less mass than the salt water. But you can float other things in salt water too! A common science demonstration is seeing how an egg floats in salt water compared to how it floats in fresh water. You may have even experienced this yourself - by floating in a mineral spa!
This demonstration uses fresh and salt water to explore density by observing how colors do or do not combine with each other! Check it out!
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