DIY Type: Dyson Science

Write your secret message in an invisible ink solution. Lemon juice is an organic substance that reacts with oxygen in the surrounding air, oxidizes, and turns brown. By placing the…

Create multi-colored flowers. Plants need a transport system to move food, water, and minerals around. Two things combine to move water through plants – transpiration and cohesion. Water evaporating from…

Create a big soapy marshmallow out of Ivory soap®. Ivory soap® floats because it has air pumped into it during manufacturing. When the air inside the soap heats up, the…

Make your lava lamp. Oil is hydrophobic – it will not mix with water – even if you try to shake the bottle. The Alka-Seltzer® tablet reacts with the water…

Make raisins dance up and down in a glass of soda. Raisins have a higher density than the liquid in the glass, so they sink to the bottom. Carbon dioxide…

Move pepper away from you without touching it. Water bulges typically up a bit. You can see this by looking at a raindrop or filling a glass slightly over the…

Create your invisible fire extinguisher. The mixture of baking soda and vinegar creates carbon dioxide. CO2 is heavier than air, so it sits at the bottom of the glass. When…

Make a paper clip float on water. The paper clip is held afloat by the surface tension of the water. Water molecules are polar, so the molecules pull on each…

Make a barometer and predict the weather. As the air is sealed inside the jar, any changes to the air pressure outside the jar will direct the movement of the…

Measure the speed of light using chocolate and a microwave oven. Microwaves work by creating standing waves inside the microwave oven. The water molecules in the chocolate try to align…