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Tiny Particles, Big Trouble!
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In this activity, learners discover why some nanoscale science and technology is done in the controlled environment of a clean room, what clean rooms are like, and how scientists help keep the clean r
Matraca
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In this activity, learners create a traditional Mexican noisemaker (a matraca) using cardboard, craft sticks, and a wooden dowel.
Smelly Balloons
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In this activity, learners sniff out scents hidden in balloons! After investigating, learners discover we sometimes can use another sense (smell) to detect things too small to see.
CD Spectroscope
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In this activity, learners use an old CD to construct a spectroscope, a device that separates light into its component colors.
Bronx Cheer Bulb
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In this activity, learners observe what happens when they give a light source like a neon glow lamp a "Bronx Cheer." The lights appear to wiggle back and forth and flicker when learners blow air throu
Robot Hands
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This activity (on page 2) explores how sensing is part of robotics. Learners try tying their shoes with different constraints.
Pinhole Viewer
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In this activity, learners discuss and investigate how cameras, telescopes, and their own eyes use light in similar ways.
Iridescent Art
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This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Butterfly Wings Activity) that illustrates how nanoscale structures, so small they're practically invisible, can produce visible/colorful effects.
Magic Wand
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In this activity about light and perception, learners create pictures in thin air.
Robot Body Language
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In this robotics activity, learners find ways to express emotions and feelings using only body movements, not facial expressions.
Beam Me Up!
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This is a quick activity (on page 2 of the PDF under Stained Glass Activity) about the "Tyndall effect," the scattering of visible light when it hits very small dispersed particles.
Helping Hand
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In this invention challenge activity, learners see how many objects they can grab with a homemade "bionic" arm.
Critical Angle
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In this optics activity, learners examine how a transparent material such as glass or water can actually reflect light better than any mirror.
Make a Light Fountain
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In this optics activity, learners make a "light fountain" from a clear plastic bottle, flashlight, and other simple materials.
Make a Telescope
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In this optics activity, learners make a simple telescope using two lenses and a cardboard tube. Learners construct the telescope and then calculate its magnification.
Mini Zoetrope
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In this activity (posted on March 27, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a mini zoetrope, a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures.
Spectroscope
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In this activity (posted on March 12, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a spectroscope, a tool used to analyze light and color.
Invisible Sunblock
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In this activity, learners find out why some mineral sunblock rubs in clear. Learners compare nano and non-nano sunblocks and discover how particle size affects visibility.
Camera Projector
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In this activity (posted on March 14, 2011), learners follow the steps to construct a camera projector to explore lenses and refraction.
Sniffing for a Billionth
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This is an activity (located on page 4 of the PDF under What's Nano? Activity) about size and scale.