SSCTV - Electrolysis and Rhino Horns

What a great new episode of SSCTV!

Jesse sets water on fire… and makes more water!

Tommy Tungsten is back with a great deal on another element - NITROGEN!

And Sally Science answers a question about rhinoceros horns!

Have a question for Sally Science? Send a video to rholota@sasksciencecentre.com

Use the Earth Challenge 2020 app to gather critical environmental data near you. Earth Challenge 2020 is the app fueling the world’s largest citizen science effort, available on Android and iOS devices. Learn more here.

Want your very own plush rhino? Or a different stuffed animal, or maybe a fun science kit to work on as a familty? Check out the Atom + Geek Science Shop - now with online sales!

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Science At Home - Color Changing Milk

Color Changing Milk Demo

Explore bipolar molecules - those that are simultaneously hydrophobic AND hydrophilic!

What You Need

• Shallow dish

• Food coloring

• Milk

• Cotton Swabs

What You Do

1. Pour enough milk in the dish to completely cover the bottom. Let the milk settle.

2. Add a small amount of each of the colors of food coloring. Keep the drops close together near the centre of the dish.

3. Next, pick up your cotton swab. Touch the tip of the swab into the centre of the milk - it’s important that you don’t stir the milk. What happens?

4. Now, place a drop of dish soap on the other end of the cotton swab. Dip the soapy end of the cotton swab in the middle of the dish and hold it there for a few seconds. What’s happening now?

5. Add more soap to the cotton swab and try again. Experiment by moving the cotton swab to different places in the dish.

What makes the food coloring in the milk move?

Explanation

Dish soap is bipolar - that is, a soap molecule has a polar end which is hydrophilic (water loving) and a non-polar end which is hydrophobic (water fearing). The hydrophilic end of the soap molecule dissolves in water while it’s hydrophobic end attaches to fat molecules in the milk.

Milk is made mostly of water, which makes it easy for the hydrophilic end of the soap molecule to dissolve, but it also contains many other things such as vitamins and minerals. Milk also contains fat. The hydrophobic end of the soap molecules want to attach to the fat molecules.

As the soap molecules and the fat molecules interact, they move around in a little soap dance. While this dance, or gymnastic routine, is happening, the food coloring is moved all around the dish, giving us an easy way to observe the activity.

SSCTV - Tornadoes and Cloud

SSCTV is back with a new episode!

Jesse explores the science of tornadoes, while Sally Science tackles a question about clouds!

Have a question for Sally Science? Send a video to rholota@sasksciencecentre.com

Want your very own tornado tube? Pick up an At-Home-Experiment Kit from the Atom + Gekk Science Shop!

Want to see all the great Atom + Geek Gift Shop items, with free next business day delivery? Shop here!

#SaskScienceCentre #AtHomeWithCASC #ScienceChampions #ScienceAtHome #realsciencerealfun #seeyqr #exploresask #supportlocal #supportlocalyqr

SSCTV - Animals And Ecosystems

Welcome to the latest episode of Sask Science Centre TV!

Learn about skulls and teeth (and what scientists can learn from them) with Jesse, explore the element Calcium with Tommy Tungsten, and Sally Science answers a great question from Luke!

Do you have a question for Sally Science? Send it to rholota@sasksciencecentre.com - include a video if you'd like!

Science At Home - Water Lifting Candle

Hey Science Fans!

Here’s another great activity that you can do at home to amaze your friends and family (and explore learning with your kids!)

Instructions

WATER LIFTING CANDLE DEMONSTRATION

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Pan, plate, or flat-bottomed dish

• Water (add food coloring to make the effect even more visible)

• Tea light or small candle

• Matches or lighter

• Tall glass cylinder, drinking glass, vase, etc

Warning! This activity uses fire. Make sure there is an adult present to help!

What you do

1. Pour some water (colored water is best) into a shallow dish or pan

2. Place a candle into the dish

3. Carefully light the candle

4. Place the glass upside down over the candle.

5. Watch as the candle goes out. What happens to the water?

What’s happening?

The “Fire Triangle” outlines the three things required for fire to be present: oxygen, fuel, and heat. When one of those items is missing, a fire can not start. If one of those resources is used up, the fire will go out. By placing the glass over the candle, you limit the amount of oxygen available to the fire. When the oxygen in the glass is used up, the candle goes out.

The flame of the candle creates heat which warms the air inside the glass. As the air inside the glass warms, it expands - you probably noticed some air bubble leaking out from under the glass while the candle was burning. When the candle goes out, the air in the glass cools. As the air cools, it contracts. This creates an area of low pressure inside the glass - a partial vacuum. The air pressure outside the glass remains constant, pushing down on the water in the dish.

The area of high pressure (atmospheric pressure) pushes down on the liquid in the dish, forcing it to go into an area of lower pressure (the space inside the glass). When that happens, the water level inside the glass will rise higher than the water level outside the glass. When the air pressure inside the glass and outside the glass are equal, the water level stops rising.

Experiment!

Does the size or shape of the glass make a difference?

Does the temperature of the glass have an effect on the outcome?

Does the amount of water in the dish have an effect on the outcome?