Check out this kitchen table science experiment on how to make electricity from copper, zinc and water. You can make your own battery to power a small LED light from just nails, copper wire and water. You will need copper wire, zinc (in the form of galvanized nails), a multim ...more
One of the most famous and repeated chemistry experiments involves money. Some would say this is more of a trick than an experiment, but you can be the judge of that. No one can just turn pennies into silver or gold coins, but someone with a few chemicals can. So, if you want ...more
Once used as solid rocket fuel because the reaction requires no oxygen, sulfur and zinc react vigorously. The reaction with zinc produces flame and a near explosion. Sparks fly and smoke billows in this dramatic chemical demonstration. Please DO NOT try this one at home.
Rust protection doesn't have to cost a fortune. With a little zinc and some electricity, you can protect your precious metals from rust by galvanization. When you galvanize something, you're giving it a protective coating, and in this case, it's a zinc coating. Watch this sci ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make copper sulfate and zinc batteries. They show you how to make the classic copper sulfate and zinc battery using the incredibly easy "gravity" battery design approach. Great for science fairs and similar projects th ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to get zinc, carbon rods and MnO2 from lantern batteries. They show you how to get zinc, carbon electrodes and manganese dioxide from a lantern battery. Zinc is a good metal for battery experiments. Carbon electrodes ar ...more
John White is an expert horticulturist. He thinks you need to make sure to add zinc to the proper care of your pecan trees. White advises to buy zinc at your local gardening store and use a garden sprayer to put it on your trees. Older trees and younger trees need to have zinc ...more
This is a great science project! For this, you will be able to make an air battery using zinc. You will also need a paper towel, some steel wool, and an electrolyte solution. An air battery can keep for decades as long as it's dry.
Need to fight a cold? Heal a persistent wound? You might want to check out the powerful mineral zinc! Health Guru is a site that produces videos which provide medical advice in a number of areas: Pregnancy, Sex Health, and College Health. With the aid of Health Guru, you can ...more
Unless you're a high-schooler building a nuclear fusion reactor, the hardest part of a science investigatory project often is coming up with a good idea. You want it to be cool yet feasible, novel but still useful. That's why Ai-ni Bautista's science project on making liquid ...more
Glow sticks, a popular favor at parties and outdoor events, and a must-have on Halloween, can be traced back to the United States Navy in the mid-1960s. The military desired improved visibility during night operations, and glow sticks, with their small-size portability and lac ...more
No, we're not lying. But before you try and tear a plain old penny in half, you should probably watch this video first or you may hurt your fingers. While ordinary pennies are very, very difficult to rip, if you get rid of the zinc core you are left with only the thin copper s ...more
Cavities are an unfortunate sideeffect of our sugar-infused society, and getting them filled is time-consuming, expensive, and requires a trip to the dentist. Do you have some serious courage and want your dental work done on the cheap? Watch this video for an amazing guide to ...more
Glowing substances have always held a powerful appeal to people, and making new ones can be a lucrative business. If you need some glow powder for a project of yours, watch this video to learn how to make DIY glow-in-the-dark powder out of normal household chemicals. Video: . ...more
You know what ladies love? A man who can handle his tools. What do the ladies love even more? A man who can say checkmate. Well, except maybe this lady. But, what about those of us lacking grandmaster status? We can use those tools were so good with to show off our intelligen ...more
Make a reusable glow stick, glow-in-the-dark-style! Imagine, you'll never have to buy one of those ChemLite's again, because you can reuse this homemade glow stick over and over again. This video tutorial will show you how to make a permanent, reusable glow stick. The material ...more
This science experiment will show you how to turn a penny into gold with common chemicals. This video tutorial will demonstrate turning the copper penny into a silver penny and into a gold cent. All you need to make gold pennies is sodium hydroxide (also known as lye), zinc po ...more
A typical resistance spot welder can range in price from about $200-$800, but with a little resourcefulness and a bit of free time, you can make one like this for about $10 or less. Before starting on this project, there are a couple of videos you should check out, because yo ...more
Even as someone with super pale skin that burns instead of tanning, I don't use sunscreen nearly as often as I should. Or, uh...ever. My skin cancer prevention routine mostly involves hiding from the sun as much as humanly possible. If you're like me and hate the greasy feelin ...more
There's no doubt you've heard the old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The phrase was penned in an obituary to a dwarf actor in 1915 by an anarchist named Elbert Hubbard, who lost his life five months later aboard the RMS Lusitania when it was torpedoed by ...more
Contrary to popular belief, sushi is not the raw fish that one gets at Japanese restaurants, but the rice that comes with it. It's hard to tell whether this popular misconception led to or came about because of the primary flavors that we think of in sushi are the fish. We oft ...more
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make fire 4 ways without matches by using chemistry, without matches or lighters. WARNING: These experiments are for educational purposes only and are not meant to be repeated. First, a small mount of potassium perma ...more
C For Chemistry delves into the chemistry of science experiments. This chemist knows what he's talking about. These chemistry experiments are not only fun, but very educational for all of those interested in scientific chemical reactions and properties. This video tutorial wi ...more
This video will show you how to make a lemon battery. You use a copper penny and a zinc coated nail to create a circuit.
What's a penny worth these days? Not much. But could there be some free energy hidden inside your spare pennies? You'd be surprised! See how I hack together stacks of pennies into makeshift batteries that can drive small-current devices like LEDs and calculators. Video: . You' ...more
Welcome back to the two-part series of Ten foods to eat for clear, acne-free skin. Check out part 1 here. As any good dermatologist and aesthetician will tell you, beauty begins from the inside. In a healthy skin diet, the quality of the calories you eat matters more than any ...more
There are so many cutesy pink, red, and heart-shaped desserts and drinks put out on Valentine's Day, but none of those really get you into a low-light mood. Instead, turn up the heat with one of these aphrodisiac cocktails for grown-ups. What all experts seem to agree on is t ...more
Did you know that the average cost to make a penny is about 2.4 cents?!? That's why the Obama administration asked Congress earlier this year for permission to change the metals in the penny, hoping to get the cost back down where it makes sense. But do we even need these coi ...more
In this video tutorial the instructor talks about Hydrochloric acid (HCL) and how it reacts to a few metals. To try this out take 30 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid in a beaker. You need to employ caution while handling acids, especially if you use strong ones. Now you ca ...more
Do not point this gun to other! Kids SHOULD NOT use the darts in this tutorial as the ammunition, you should only use soft things like the cotton head of the ear-cleaner stick! Step 1: Materials Preparing 1 empty dishwater bottle with the cap like this 1 empty glass cleaner ...more
If you consider yourself a regular coffee, tea, or hot chocolate drinker, you probably have a kitchen cabinet full of stained mugs that refuse to scrub clean. Thankfully, there is a better solution that doesn't involve continuing to fight those stains with a sponge, bleach, an ...more
Coconut oil must be sent from the gods themselves, because this stuff is made of miracles. If you ever wondered why your mother always has it around, it's because she's smart enough to know the countless uses for it. Whether you need a beauty remedy, help with weight loss, or ...more
How to properly nail shingles on a roof The preferred order for nailing is 1,3,2,4 but 1,2,3,4 is also acceptable. When the nails are placed in or above the self sealing strip that is called high nailing. High nailing can reduce the strength of the seal and make blow off more ...more
Getting sunburned sucks, and according to the Environmental Working Group's 2012 survey of over 800 sunscreen brands, 75% of them contained potentially harmful ingredients linked to hormone disruption and even cell damage that may lead you to skin cancer. Yikes. Other than be ...more
The best sangria I ever had in my life was made by a Spanish friend for my birthday party. The ingredients included a giant box of Franzia red, one bottle of Bombay Sapphire Blue, one cup of sugar, a liter of 7-Up, and some cinnamon sticks. She put everything but the 7-Up in a ...more
With their first attempt at the mobile market, Razer introduced a device that looks at the smartphone differently. Instead of focusing on minimal bezels or an amazing camera, Razer decided to make a phone for gamers. So how could Razer target the growing mobile gaming market, ...more
What is MnSO4 and MNO2, anyway? They are they molecular formula for Manganese Sulfate and Manganese Dioxide. And you can make one from the other. But how? Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make MnSO4 from MNO2 with 2 separate ways with Dr. Lithium. T ...more
Halloween is less than a couple weeks away, so it's about that time you start thinking of cool ways to decorate your house (if you haven't already), and pumpkins are an obvious choice. Pumpkins are one of the cornerstones of Halloween celebrations, dating all the way back to t ...more
In this video tutorial, you'll find instructions for building a standard joist design playground slide, supported by 3-by-4 posts and secured with galvanized fasteners. All fasteners exposed to the outdoors must be weather-resistant, galvanized, zinc-coated brass or stainless ...more
Was Napoleon's death really due to stomach cancer, or was it arsenic poisoning? Some scientist believe the latter. Arsenic poisoning was a deadly weapon in that era, because it was undetectable when administered over a long period of time, making murder seem like natural cause ...more
Before you figure out how to strip the paint on your car to bare metal, you should should first ask the question, should I strip all of the paint off. Depending on the type of job you're doing, it may actually be better not to strip all of the paint off. This was a question I ...more
Using copper pennies (be sure they are older than 1983), lemon juice, paper towels and sandpaper, you can construct your own DIY battery that generates enough juice to light up an LED. The process is simple: simply sand down one side of a penny with sandpaper (be careful not ...more
Suzy Cohen tells us in this video how to lower our blood pressure naturally. Believe it or not, the urinary tract is connected with our blood pressure. A dietary supplement called "Asparagus extract" is recommended. Asparagus in vegetable form is delicious when served with a l ...more
You can easily copy the aged look on old brass jewelry and hardware. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, oxides naturally. But you can encourage the process to go faster by using vinegar and salt water, or a rag soaked in ammonia. Use these techniques to mimic an antique patina.
Need a way to prove your strength? Only superheroes have the power to tear metal, right? Wrong! Even the weakest nerds can shred metal with science on their side. Ripping through metal is easier than it sounds. We have yet to discover a HowTo on getting your muscles into su ...more
What's more important in maintaining a healthy body weight? Eating healthy food or simply reducing your calorie intake? You may think a human nutrition professor would encourage the former, but instead Kansas State University's Mark Haub proved the latter. CNN reports that Pr ...more
You've probably seen the classic fruit battery science experiment a thousand times, but I doubt you've ever seen it turned into an art project! Photographer Caleb Charland uses everyday objects like apples, coins and vinegar to create makeshift batteries, then takes these gorg ...more
When I was younger, my best friend's dad would always give us a lollipop on long car rides. I remember three things about those lollipops: they were bright green, tasted delicious, and had a cricket in the center. You know, like a Tootsie Roll Pop... only instead of a Tootsie ...more
Learn how heat moves through things, like different kinds of metals, such as zinc, aluminum, copper, tin, lead, and iron. This is known as thermal conduction. You can also see how to boil water in a paper cup with the principle of thermal conductivity. This is a great tutorial ...more
Calling all alchemists, it's time to make magic. Here's another lesson from our favorite mad scientist, Nurdrage (previously, DIY glow sticks & pencil lead levitaton). This time the anonymous doctor of science demonstrates a neat chemistry trick: how to turn pennies to silver ...more
Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is prone to tarnishing—but whether it's a brass lamp or a brass monkey, with the right technique it's a cinch to polish. You Will Need * Some tarnished brass * Several clean cotton cloths * A bowl of water mixed with a dash of mild soap * ...more
Watch this video from This Old House to learn how to remove roof moss. Steps: 1 Slide a margin trowel under shingles to unstick them from the ones below. 2 Slide sacrificial zinc strip underneath the loosened shingles. 3 Secure the strip with roofing nails. 4 Apply a dab of ...more
You may think your iPhone has all the features you could ever need or want, but that may change once you discover the features and services you're missing out on by residing in the United States. To sell iPhone models in other countries, Apple has to abide by each country's l ...more
Freekeh is the next great supergrain that you might not have heard of yet. According to nutritionists, it comes out on top compared all to other grains, with more protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and a lower glycemic index. What Is Freekeh? Freekeh (pronounced freak-ah) i ...more
In the perpetual search for a renewable and convenient energy source, our bacterial friends have once again stolen the limelight. Since bacteria multiply so fast, they are the ultimate renewable resource. And since they are living organisms, their metabolism produces by-produ ...more
In this episode of Science Theater Dr. Carlson helps you understand the concept behind Density and how it relates to Mass and volume and how to calculate the Density of a substance if its Mass and Volume are known. The Density of various metals is demonstrated using aluminum, ...more
Walking into a pharmacy with a cold can we overwhelming with all the choices of over the counter drugs. In this how to video Pharmacologist Joe Graedon shows you how to prevent the common cold with home remedies. Start by washing your hands frequently, soothe your symptoms and ...more
In this how-to video, you will learn how to properly tape an ankle. This is important if you have trouble with your ankle turning. First, spray some pre-tape on the foot. Put on some Pro Wrap so that the tape does not tear the hair on your legs. Put some heel and lace pads on ...more
There is no cure for the common cold but you can help the symptoms. Learn prevention tips and common cold remedies from Pharmacologists Joe and Dr. Terry Graedon. Use vitamin D, zinc, or ginger tea to beat that nasty cold.