Allways the same side down- Electrical charges

This is a very simple demonstration, with an explanation beyond the obvious. This fully works using available materials. 

What we need:

• cooking oil,
• water,
• a small glass,
• cardboard,
• a charcoal,
• a puncher.

How to:

1. Fill half glass with water;
2. Fill the other half with oil;
3. Paint the cardboard with the charcoal, saturate the cardboard with the pencil as much as you can;
4. Punch little circles on the painted area;
5. Place the circles in the cup.

What happens?
The painted side always faces the oil.

Why?
Graphite is a good conductor, and has negative polarity. The polarity of the graphite repels water so that the painted face is always facing the oil.

Transform this demonstration in an experiment

1. Try other types of oil;
2. Try mixing salt or sugar in water;
3. Paint the cardboard with your colored pencils, or crayons ...

Record the observations, the falling speed of the balls and the number of times the balls fall into another position.

NOTE: You can only study one variable at a time, otherwise you will not be able to establish the cause / effect.

Et Voilá!
Electric charges at work
Enjoy!

DIY- Bird house

Our restless love this kind of crafts. This is how we did our own bird house.
We bought the house already made in the store; of course you can make one from the scratch.

What we need:

• a plain wood bird house;
• sand paper;
• small branches, acorns, leaves, sticks, whatever you can find in the garden;
• white glue; 
• varnish;
• brown acrylic paint, or another color you prefer;
• wire.

How to:

1. Sand the bird house;
2. Paint it with your elected color;
3. Let it dry for 3 to 4h;
4. Varnish it;
5. Let it dry again;
6. While you wait between the point 3 and 5, look for small branches, acorns, leaves, sticks, whatever you can find in the garden, to camouflage the bird house.
7. Cut the branches and the sticks in the right size, don't worry if some of them are larger or smaller, nature is irregular.
8. When the varnish is dry, cover one of the house walls with white glue,
9. Glue the branches and the sticks, don’t worry with the space between them, we will deal with it later,
10. Let it dry,
11. Chose another wall and repeat the step 8 and 9.
12. Go on until all the walls are decorated;
13. Leave it to dry for 24h;
14. Glue other elements to cover the spaces between the branches and let it dry again;
15. Varnish;
16. With the wire fix the house on a tree, don’t use nails;
17. Wait until the new inhabitants move to the new condo.

NOTE: do not glue the box cover (bird house roof) 


Et Voilá!
A little help for wildlife!

Enjoy!

S. Valentine's day craft- flower lollipop

I found this super restless idea for Valentine's day. All you need is a lollipops, cardboard, scissors, color pens and lots of love.

Use this molds to cut the flowers and the leaves

Et Voilá!
Lovely lollipops

Enjoy!

The mysterious blast

Magic Science Tricks video.

TRICK Nº3. The mysterious blast


NOTE: This trick must heave adult supervision.

What we need:

• candles,
• matches,
• sodium bicarbonate, baking soda,
• vinegar, normal, without flavor,
• a glass container, with a large opening.

How to:

1. Light the candles;
2. Leave it burning for a while;
3. Pour the vinegar in container;
4. Add half a measure of bicarbonate;
5. Quickly put your hand over the cup, keep your hand there for a few seconds, until the bubbling calms down
6. Hold the container 1 in above the candle wick;
7. Tilt it as much as you can without the liquid content spill over the candles.

What happens?
The flame extinguish.

Why?
When we mix vinegar and baking soda a reaction happens, in this reaction water (liquid), carbon dioxide (gas) and sodium acetate (liquid) are formed. The bubbling is the result of this.
When we place our hand on the flask we don't prevent the gas to escape, we just slow it down, a small amount of it stay inside the container. When we tilt the container near the candles the CO2 escapes, and as result the O2 (oxygen) concentration drops, resulting in the extinction of the flame. This happens because one of the 3 necessary elements for a combustion is missing- the O2 -Check more information about this.

NOTE: CO2 molecule is heavier then O2 molecule.

That's why CO2 is a extinguishing agent, but like all extinguishing agents it can't be used indiscriminately:

Referências:
http://www.fiocruz.br/biosseguranca/Bis/lab_virtual/fogo.html 
http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/agents.html

Et voilá!
It's Magic

Enjoy!

Instant facts- Just add water 25

The female lion does ninety percent of the hunting.
in http://www.thefactsite.com

Instant facts- Just add water 24

Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital
in Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts

Stubborn finger

This video about magic science tricks show us a hand with a ring finger glued to the table when we fold the middle finger.

Trick Nº2: Stubborn finger

This really happens and it’s just an anatomic "thing", our body is a machine and nothing happens "just because". 

To understand why this happens it’s important to know a little of hand anatomy. Our hand has a nerve, called median nerve, that is responsible for the movement on all the purple area in picture.
When we try to move the ring finger with the middle finger folded the nerve is compressed and doesn’t allow the finger to move. In fact, if you try this with your index finger folded same thing happen, although not so visible, the mobility is reduced.

After a few seconds trying to move the finger we eventually succeed, in a some how shy way. Most of the times the success of this movement comes with a slight pain on your wrist, this happens because we are not supposed to move it. This movement forces the nerve and   makes the wrist to hurt.

 
ATTENTION: This does not injury any part of your body. It hurts for a sec but leaves no sequelae.
These kinds of experiments are only useful to understand how the body works.

Et voilá!

Enjoy!

References:
http://adoratual.wordpress.com/tag/sindrome-do-tunel-do-carpo/
http://www.mullumbimbychiropractic.com.au/common-problems/carpal-tunnel-syndrome
http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/radial.htm