A shopvac can be transformed into a simple cannon, launching projectiles using air pressure.
Producers: Exploration Production Inc.
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Pulling a Car/Cracking a Nut
Alan demonstrates how mechanical advantage helps humans do things that would normally require superhuman strength.
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Making a Hoodoo
Hoodoos are unusual erosional features found in the Badlands of Alberta. Here’s a simple way to create your own hoodoos.
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Make Your Own Doorbell
The simple doorbell is a wonderful piece of technology built around a device called a solenoid. Make your own!
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Why Do Balls Bounce?
Learn about the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions. It’s all about conserving kinetic energy!
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Rosin Up The Bow
Violins and cellos make beautiful music when a skilled musician runs a bow across the strings. But why do they apply rosin to the strings before playing? It’s all about vibration!
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Spinning Tops
Explore the strange physics that keep spinning tops from falling down. What is it about spinning that makes objects stable, and seemingly able to defy gravity?
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Body Heat
Our body creates heat through the chemical reactions required to move muscles. With the help of some candy, we can illustrate just how much heat is available when we break apart sugar molecules!
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How to Disappear
Make a test tube disappear before your eyes, and learn about the index of refraction.
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The Original Battery
Alessandro Volta created the first battery. His ‘voltaic pile’ used alternating silver and zinc discs separated by cloth soaked in salt water. We can easily reproduce this landmark invention and create a small current!