@ Home Experiments featuring invisible forces

MILWAUKEE - Tanzania Sewell from Club SciKidz Greater Milwaukee shares two experiments you can do at home featuring air pressure and magnetism.

Experiment #1 - Candle in A Jar

Items Needed - Clear glass vase or mason jar, a shallow pan (pie pans work great!), tea candle (we like the giant ones!), water, food coloring, a match or lighter and adult help

Gather all items needed for the experiment. Fill your shallow pan with water and add food coloring. Food coloring isn't essential to the experiment but it helps to visualize the effect. Gently place your tea candle in the water, be careful not to get the wick wet. When ready for the experiment, light the tea candle and place your vase or mason jar directly over the candle. Wait and watch the effect of air pressure!

Experiment #2 - Levitating Paper Clips

Items Needed - Disc magnets, ruler, paper clips (if your magnets are very strong, small paperclips work best), thread (white is best to create the levitating effect!), building material (think building blocks or books), double sided tape and masking tape

Create Your Structure - First, build your experiment structure by creating two columns of equal height using your chosen building material. We've found that building blocks or books work great. Also, plan on building your columns with a height somewhere between 12in-18in in height. Next, create a 6in gap between your columns. Using double sided tape, attach your magnet (or magnets) to the center of the ruler. Place the ruler so that it covers the gap between your columns. Place the ruler so that the magnet faces down towards your work surface. You've essentially built a bridge. 

Prep Your Paperclip - Tie your thread to your paper clip. Be sure to triple knot the thread to ensure the paperclip and thread stay attached during the experiment. Once secured, leave a long tail of thread on your paperclip. For your final act, you can always trim the thread to the proper length.

Experiment with Your Magnets - Not all magnets have the same magnetic pull. Depending on the material, size and shape the magnetic pull a magnet has can vary. To find the perfect levitation height for your paper clip, let the magnet attract the paperclip until they are both touching. When touching, gently pull the thread attached to the paperclip until there's a gap between the paperclip and magnet but you can still feel the magnetic pull. The gap will be related to how strong a magnet you have, even with our strongest magnets we don't see gaps that are more than a half inch. This will take some trial and error, but you'll feel the difference. Once you find the height, secure the excess thread on the paperclip to your work surface using tape. The goal is to have the thread be fully extended at levitation height. Once secured, you can have fun with attachments to your paperclip. Keep in mind that adding too much decor will prevent the paperclips from levitating. You can show off your experiment, or keep learning by adding additional magnets or event trying other items.