Behind the Scenes
- Return of More Than Meets the Eye
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props! - II
- Higher-Tech Reality
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
Mystery Mist
Your mist and bubbling lava result from a chemical reaction. You combined a solid (baking soda) with a liquid (vinegar) to form a gas (what's inside the balloon). The gas is invisible, so you can't see it when you make your volcano erupt. The bubbles are your only clue. The name of the gas is carbon dioxide.
More Middle School Activities
Prop Rocks
When the balance is level, the prop rock has the same mass as the real rock. At first glance, the obvious difference is the size. However, from a science standpoint, the difference is one of density. Density is a property of materials that describes the amount of mass in a particular amount of space. Most rocks and metals have a lot of mass in a small space, or a high density. Prop boulders are made from very low-density materials.
More Middle School Activities
- Return of More Than Meets the Eye
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props! - II
- Higher-Tech Reality
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
Mad Scientist's Lab
Secret potions: Cabbage juice is an "indicator," a chemical that changes to different colors when exposed to other chemicals called "acids", like the lemon juice, or to "bases", like the soap. You performed a "pH" test, one of many kinds of tests used by chemists to identify substances by their properties. Mysterious ooze: Chemists call your ooze a "suspension." The cornstarch does not dissolve in the water, so the ooze is not a solution. It is neither a solid nor a liquid. It has properties of both. Both creations are different forms of matter.
More Middle School Activities
- Return of More Than Meets the Eye
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props! - II
- Higher-Tech Reality
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
Hold That Pose!
The plaster from this activity comes from a mineral called gypsum. When gypsum is heated, the mineral loses water that is part of the gypsum crystal. As a final step to making plaster of Paris, the gypsum is ground into a powder. When mixed with water, the process reverses. As it returns to gypsum, the gypsum gives off heat. It also swells to completely fill a space, making it perfect for patching holes in walls, forming casts for broken bones, and making exact molds of fingers and hands.
More Middle School Activities
- Return of More Than Meets the Eye
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!
- Mysterious Makeup and Preposterous Props! - II
- Higher-Tech Reality
- More Monsters, Motion, and Mechanics!