Fog Tornado
An ultrasonic mist generator creates fog, a fan draws air upward, and directional vanes at the bottom excite the vortex, creating a tornado.
Sparky
A low-voltage high-current power supply is connected to two rails. The circuit is completed by a rod laid across, whose magnetic field interacts with the array of permanent magnets beneath.
Fog Ring Shooter
An ultrasonic mist generator creates a fog within a small volume. The volume is reduced by applying an impulse and a ring vortex, entrained with fog, emerges.
Lissajous Laser
A laser beam reflects off two mirrors and then onto a glow-in-the dark surface to create beautiful patterns.
Polarizing LCD Screen
A polarizer sheet has been removed from a typical LCD screen allowing its content to be displayed only through a polarizer.
Microwave Gas Ionization
Neon bulbs are arranged on the tray of a microwave. When it is turned on, the bulbs light.
Bernoulli Balloon Hair Dryer
A hair dryer's heat is disabled and then it is pointed generally upward to levitate a balloon or light ball.
Inductive Shocker
A battery (or generator) is hooked up to a circuit with a transformer coil. A change in current increases the voltage.
Aluminum Plasma Cutter
A circuit is completed at the junction of a graphite pencil "lead" and aluminum foil, creating plasma and cutting action.
Magnet Dance
Pencil Sharpener
A cup with a magnet in it is glued upside-down on a pencil sharpener.
TV Rainbow Magnetic Field
A TV is set to a blue screen. A magnet is manipulated to show its field lines in rainbow colors.
Stepper Sounds
A stepper motor is hooked to a speaker. Turning the shaft produces audible frequencies that correspond to the rotation.
Magnetic Music
A strip of tape that has audio recorded onto it is rubbed against the head of a tape player.
Musically Marching Styro Beads
Small styrofoam beads dance in neat rows in the nodes of an acoustic standing wave.
Human Battery
Two dissimilar metals are connected to a micro-ammeter. Completing the circuit with an electrolyte initiates electric current.
String Thing
A blower creates high velocity air which carries a piece of yarn into its path. The yarn is looped so that it is constantly flowing through the tube and into the air.
Pitch Bending Music Generator
The motor of a tape player is hooked to a hand crank generator. The music changes with the voltage created.
Ring Launcher
A coil of wire connected to alternating current creates an oscillating magnetic field which induces an opposing magnetic field in a conductive ring, causing it to launch.
TV Oscilloscope
The horizontal yoke of a TV is connected to a microphone or other audio device to create a corresponding wave pattern on the screen.
Elastic Cord Vibrations
An elastic cord is connected to an appliance that vibrates, creating standing wave nodes and antinodes that vary with tension, length, or driving frequency.
Big Head Fresnel
The Fresnel lens from an overhead projector is fastened to an upside-down garbage can to make a helmet that makes your face huge.
Drill Generator
Create electricity with the turn of a crank! Have it power something, show you its voltage, or both!
Slinky Sounds
Did you ever listen to a slinky? Like really listen? The sound may remind you of an old science fiction movie!
Polarizing Mosaic
Rotate one polarizer with respect to another and beautiful colors will emerge from transparent-seeming film.