Force Fields Materials Required: An adult A hammer Safety pin Glass jar Magnet Thread Adhesive tape A magnet is an object surrounded by a field of currents and has the property of either attracting or dispelling metals, such as iron or steel. When you throw up an object in the air, the force of gravity pulls it down towards the earth. These two invisible forces are very strong, but which of...

Electromagnets and Compasses Materials Required: Some insulated copper wire A three inch nail A 9-volt battery Some small nails A piece of cardboard Two needles A bar magnet A cork To make an electromagnet some insulated copper wire, all along the length of a three inch nail, without overlapping the wire. Strip and connect the two ends of the wire to the positive and negative terminals of a 9-volt battery. If...

Distributing the Pressure Materials Required: A cardboard tube A rubber band A piece of tissue paper Grains of uncooked rice This is one riddle, you need to take a look at. The question is why doesn’t the tissue paper break, even if you press down on it. Take the square of tissue paper and attach it to one end of a cardboard tube using a rubber band. Now hold the tube...

A Pen That Jumps Materials Required: A pencil A square of paper, 6 inch x 6 inch A tape rubber band A ballpoint pen with cap (as in the illustration) A pen can be made to jump back into its cap, as though pulled by a invisible hand, a magnet or a rubber band.  Take the pencil and roll a square of paper around it, like a tube about six inches...

A Hanging Pencil Materials Required: A pencil that has metal on the eraser A plastic cup with opaque sides A small magnet Hide a small magnet between your fingers and hold a plastic cup in the same hand. Having done so, turn the plastic cup upside down. With the other hand, insert the eraser end of the pencil into the cup. The pencil should be placed on the side, where the...

Conserving Electricity Materials Required: Paper and Pencil We use the appliances that we have at home, to reduce our workload, by a great extent. Little do we realize though that these appliances run on energy viz. electrical energy. Make a list of all the appliances that you have at your house and do not forget to add appliances like torches and portable radios, which run on batteries, which contain electric charges...

Convection and Temperature Materials Required: Two clear drinking glasses Water Bottle of red food colouring Bottle of blue food colouring A refrigerator When a body of air becomes warmer than the air around it, that body of air rises. It rises because it is lighter and less dense than the other. Warm air rises and cold air falls. When air flows this way, it’s called Convection. On a hot summer day,...

Saving Electricity Materials Required: Your Home Pencil and paper Electrical energy has been such a boon to mankind that we generally take its use for granted. We expect it to be there all the time and therefore pay no heed to it, until the time it is lost. The reasons for the loss of electrical power can range from a fault with the electric utility equipment, when strong winds can blow...