{"id":43220,"date":"2024-12-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=43220"},"modified":"2024-11-26T15:30:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T22:30:12","slug":"quick-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/quick-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Quick Science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because\u00a0the possibilities they inspire are new.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Guide to building doodads w\/junk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Toys from Trash<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recycling, reuse and reappropriation of common household goods, trash and miscellany into functional and\/or amusing items is something Cool Tools readers know well. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of tinkerers, whether you have children or not, it\u2019s near impossible to visit Arvind Gupta\u2019s Toys From Trash without wanting to attempt at least one of his many projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His web site boasts a fantastic range of educational experiments like how to fashion a potato battery and a bottle barometer, as well as a section called \u201cPumps from the Dump\u201d which includes a stellar-looking Syringe Pump. Granted there\u2019s an array of light experiments akin to the ones you\u2019ll find in the previously-reviewed Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids. But in addition to the nerdy, educational stuff, Gupta\u2019s site features quick and easy one-offs that aren\u2019t the least bit science-y, like how to fold six types of newspaper hat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first perused Toys From Trash a couple years ago, but found myself diving back in recently after a friend reminded me just how much cool stuff Gupta\u2019s published. Many of us already tinker, create, deconstruct and build stuff back up for fun, work, education, etc. \u2014 or at the very least we\u2019re partial to blogs and publications which show us what\u2019s possible. I\u2019m guessing one of the biproducts of the economic downturn in the U.S. will be an increase in DIY and, therefore, even more kids raised on transforming what could be discarded into treasures. \u2014 Steven Leckart<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Best amateur science source<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably the coolest source of educational science demonstrations I\u2019ve encountered is this very book-like website written and run by Simon Field. Field has 30 nifty toys and gadgets that can be made quickly, cheaply and will amaze adults as well as kids. This is the only place I\u2019ve seen that tells you how to make a magnetic linear accelerator, also known as a Gauss Rifle \u2013 it uses magnetism to shoot tiny steel balls. The secret to Field\u2019s method is that his demos are very small, requiring small amounts of material, energy, or money. Most of his experiments can be assembled \u2013 even if you buy the stuff \u2013 for a few dollars, and can fit in your palm. His instructions and visuals are simply the best I\u2019ve seen in any how-to-book. Most wonderful of all, it\u2019s entirely up on the web for free. Hats off to you, Mr. Field. (He does sell kits, and parts, which may help pay for his server, I guess.) \u2014 KK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building the Film Can Cannon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This toy was an instant favorite from the moment its first loud Bang! and flash of orange flame launched the little black film can up to bounce off our 26 foot ceiling. It has several names: the Piezo-Popper, the Binaca Bomb, the Photo-Flash \u2014 you will probably come up with more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The toy is very easy to make, going together in about 15 minutes, at a cost of two or three dollars if all the parts are purchased new, or free if you don\u2019t throw away certain common household items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fuel for the cannon can be found around the house. We have run ours on perfume, hair spray, and (our favorite) Wintergreen Binaca mouth freshener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cannon is very simple. A pair of wires are pushed through a slit made in the top of a plastic 25 millimeter film can. The other end of the wires are soldered to the igniter element from an electronic cigarette or fireplace lighter. I chose to mount these elements on a block of wood, but this is optional if you\u2019re in a hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fire the cannon, you spray the fuel (one squirt of perfume or Binaca, or a very short squirt of hair spray) into the plastic film can, push the can down on the lid, and press the igniter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a loud Bang! and a flash of orange flame, the little can goes sailing into the air. With some practice in getting just the right amount of fuel in the can, it will go as high as 30 feet straight up. If too much or too little fuel is used, it will either not ignite at all, or it will not go very high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Film Can Cannon can only hold a small amount of air and fuel mixture, so it is safe to fire off in the house. The plastic can is soft and light, and can land on people without disturbing their hairdo. But it takes off rather quickly, and it is not recommended to have your head in the way during a launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a closeup of the spark gap formed by the stripped ends of the two wires. There is nothing critical about this arrangement \u2014 as long as the wire ends are bare and close enough, a spark can jump across the gap when the igniter is pushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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