VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

Scratch-and-Sniff

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Scratch-and-sniff stickers and books work because the aroma is trapped in microscopic spheres. When you scratch the indicated surface, you break some of these teeny tiny balls  and the fragrance is released. The capsules not broken continue to protect their contents, which could be released years later. Scratch-and-sniff surfaces is much like having millions of […]

Mixtures: Smoothies

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Smoothies are examples of mixtures. So what is a mixture? Easy! Two or more things in the same container. Now that was easy science. Now let’s build on this foundation. If the mixture is blended thoroughly, it is still a mixture? If you are only mixing stuff together and there is no chemical reaction, then […]

Mixtures:Snow Ice Cream

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1. I am always amazed when a person announces that they don’t like science, and chemistry was not their favorite class in school. The problem is that they just don’t see the whole picture. Fist of all, chemistry is about everything that most people love and enjoy way too often–FOOD! Let’s have a bit of […]

Density

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Density is a comparison of mass and volume. In other words, density relates two types of units, mass and volume. For example, water has a density of 1 g/ml. This means that 1 milliliter of water has a mass of 1 gram. This is a density that you need to memorize, but, given enough information, […]

Carbonless Copy Paper

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Question: When I write on some papers, a copy of the writing appears on the underlining page. How does this happen? Answer: This is called No Carbon Required (NCR) paper and is used to make original copies of handwritten or typed documents without the use of electronics (copy machines). The process for preparing the paper […]

Teaching Tips: Slime-Viscoelastic

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Gooey, Slippery, Slime is always a fun investigation. You can always “beef-up” the information for more advanced learners. There are so many wonderful science terms related to slime. Today, I want to introduce a property of slime called viscoelastic. This word is a mixture of two words: viscous and elastic. viscous The resistance to flowing. […]

Density: Dimensional Analysis

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The volume (in cm3) of 0.55 kilogram piece of iron (Density = 7.9 g/cm3) is _________ When I read a math problem, I often draw a diagram. Of course it doesn’t have to be fancy–it is just to help me understand what each of the facts in the problem mean. I also list all the […]

Shortening

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I love finding fun facts, such as why  solid cooking fat is called  “shortening.” It is a very “sciencey” reason based on the chemistry of baking bread. Dough is mixture of flour and water. The combination of these chemicals results in the formation of gluten. gluten A tough, elastic protein.  Gluten gives dough firmness but […]

Pressure Cooker

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While  searching for a picture of a pressure cooker, I found the one shown. The mess in the photo is the result of the cook opening a pressure cooker too early. The mess shown in the photo is nothing compared to  having an erupting  volcano of green pea soup splatter your ceiling and walls. YEP! […]