Kitchen Science Experiments

Disappearing monitors - the power of polarisation

If you have ever wanted to know how to make something on your computer screen disappear then find out here. Also find out why you should use polarised sunglasses and how an LCD monitor works.

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The Gherkinator

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you passed mains electricity through a gherkin? It is an illuminating experience.

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A cornflour monster

This is a really strange effect only discovered about 6 years ago. Basically it involves shaking cornflour mixture very hard and it starts to grow tendrils, in a very 1950's B-movie way.

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Bubbles that sink - Antibubbles

Make fascinating bubbles which rather than floating on water actually sink.

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Cello vibrations and how a violin bow works

For this week's kitchen science I took some high speed footage of some cello strings but there were some fascinating effects which didn't really fit into the kitchen science, so I thought I would post them here.

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Singing stirings - build a guitar

Make beautiful music with some string and a table, and find out why some notes sound great together.

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Colour Flashes from light bulbs

Ever since I acquired my own high speed camera (after an unfortunate incident with a borrowed high speed camera and an exploding pumpkin) I have been pointing at things which may be interesting. Last week I tried light bulbs as they turned off with some quite colourful and fascinating results.

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Seeing further - DIY telescope

Dave builds a makeshift telescope from a pair of magnifying glasses - but be careful not to get dizzy - the image it produces is upside down!

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Settling snow

Just quickly, I was looking out of the window one afternoon last thursday and noticed how snow was just settling where cars used to be parked, which seemed quite strange because one would have thought that a car having been parked over the tarmac should be warm and make the snow less likely to settle.

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Secret messages - what makes an Invisible Ink?

How can you make sure your secret letters are only read by the right person? Invisible ink, of course! We show you how to make your own invisible ink using everyday household chemicals...

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Microwaving Ice - why defrosting is so slow.

It's "On Your Marks..." for a watery microwave race - will water boil before ice melts?...

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Acoustic Levitation

Here is an interesting effect I noticed a couple of years ago. I was actually attempting to smash a wineglass using sound. I was using a piece of paper to detect when the glass was nearing resonance, and accidentally discovered something altogether more fascinating, the paper started to levitate.

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Silver from soot

Convert normal soot into a beautiful silvery substance using just a candle, some water and a mug...

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Flubber

Make a truly irresistible rubbery solid that you just can't keep your hands off...

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Science of fruit jellies

Find an excuse for a party, make some party food, and find out why some kinds of fruit work in jelly and others don't!

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