# Mystery Scientist Ideas? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628 "2013-05-17T20:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aaelghat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c5a1d2/32.png) [@aaelghat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaelghat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/1 "2013-05-17T20:56:11Z")
My son’s first grade class has a recurring parent “mystery scientist”. Tuesday is my turn. I have 30-45 minutes to do something funinvolving science with the class. I’m not sure what the other parent’s have done. Any ideas? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/2 "2013-05-17T21:02:37Z")
Make a hot air balloon out of a paper bag? Show how a diving bell works? Baking soda and vinegar volcano? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/3 "2013-05-17T21:16:53Z")
Make a lemon clock. Make a hybrid lemon-human clock. Do the penny in 2 forks balanced on a glass rim trick to demonstrate counteracting forces. Soda bottle tornados. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/4 "2013-05-17T21:27:57Z")
[Demonstration of Lenz’s Law slowing the fall of a magnet through a copper pipe.](http://video.mit.edu/watch/physics-demo-lenzs-law-with-copper-pipe-10268/). It looks like magic, but can be explained in concept pretty easil, and can be put together for about $20. You can drill holes in the tube to see the magnet falling so long as they are evenly spaced and don’t remove too much material. You don’t need a spherical magnet (which may be difficult to find locally) but it does have to be a rare earth (usually neodynium) magnet to set up sufficiently strong eddy currents. Best of all, it is a display of relativity, although the reason why is probably beyond the ability of first graders to understand. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/5 "2013-05-17T21:36:40Z")
[Here’s a site with filterable activities](http://www.education.com/activity/first-grade/science/) - choosing first grade and science yields a bunch. It’s too bad the capillary action in celery takes so long, but there are some fairly quick ones. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/6 "2013-05-17T22:15:48Z")
I love the surface-tension powered soap boats: [http://www.funscienceforgirls.com/2011/03/mini-monday-surface-tension-soap-boat.html](http://www.funscienceforgirls.com/2011/03/mini-monday-surface-tension-soap-boat.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/7 "2013-05-17T22:24:11Z")
All your needs can be purchased here– [http://www.sciplus.com/s/c\_19/sf\_176](http://www.sciplus.com/s/c_19/sf_176) If you can’t get a science project lesson out of this… ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/8 "2013-05-18T05:09:37Z")
I always used to bring liquid nitrogen to school, but I work at a place with ready access to it. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/9 "2013-05-18T06:09:00Z")
A really simple but great experiment involves having two empty soda cans resting on a bunch of straight drinking straws. Use another straw to blow inbetween the two cans that are an inch or two apart. Ask the students to predict what they think will happen when you blow in between them. Then ask them to come up with a hypothesis to explain what actually happens, and why their original prediction was wrong or right. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlN47zGNBDw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlN47zGNBDw) ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/10 "2013-05-18T07:34:26Z")
Prince Rupert’s drop > **[ItemFix - Social Video Factory](https://www.itemfix.com/?r=ll)** > > Social Video Factory Save this video on your iPad or laptop, and show it to the class. Read up on it first so you can explain it, and field questions. For obvious reasons, point out that it would not be safe for an classroom demonstration (exploding glass) ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/11 "2013-05-18T07:39:33Z")
Make advance arrangements for the school to allow you to use a large monitor to show the entire class the video. ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/12 "2013-05-18T07:44:23Z")
Plan B Bring a loaded .40 calibre gun to school, and a bucket of water, frozen to smooth ice. Shoot a bullet into the ice at a precise 42 degree angle. Note the amazing results. > **[ItemFix - Social Video Factory](https://www.itemfix.com/?r=ll)** > > Social Video Factory This phenom was actually proven on myth busters. Maybe some physics major dopers can explain this, like why isn’t the bullet deformed? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/13 "2013-05-18T11:52:07Z")
You could [extract DNA from an onion and show it to the class.](http://misterguch.brinkster.net/mlx031.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/14 "2013-05-18T12:28:59Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > [Demonstration of Lenz’s Law slowing the fall of a magnet through a copper pipe.](http://video.mit.edu/watch/physics-demo-lenzs-law-with-copper-pipe-10268/). It looks like magic, but can be explained in concept pretty easil, and can be put together for about $20. You can drill holes in the tube to see the magnet falling so long as they are evenly spaced and don’t remove too much material. You don’t need a spherical magnet (which may be difficult to find locally) but it does have to be a rare earth (usually neodynium) magnet to set up sufficiently strong eddy currents. Best of all, it is a display of relativity, although the reason why is probably beyond the ability of first graders to understand. > > Stranger You can even slide a magnet down an angled copper sheet for this effect. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/15 "2013-05-18T12:29:34Z")
> [@cougar58](#): > > Plan B > > Bring a loaded .40 calibre gun to school, and a bucket of water, frozen to smooth ice. Shoot a bullet into the ice at a precise 42 degree angle. Note the amazing results. > > [ItemFix - Social Video Factory](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d65_1366573805) > > This phenom was actually proven on myth busters. Maybe some physics major dopers can explain this, like why isn’t the bullet deformed? Yep, no one could possibly object to this. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/16 "2013-05-18T13:31:22Z")
Vivisection. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-scientist-ideas/658628/17 "2013-05-18T15:02:49Z")
First, get some chlorine trifluoride…