Search Results
Showing results 1 to 20 of 51

Electrical Fleas
Source Institutions
In this activity about electricity, learners explore how static electricity can make electric "fleas" jump up and down. Learners use a piece of wool cloth or fur to charge a sheet of acrylic plastic.

Fan Cart
Source Institutions
If a sailboat is stranded because there is no wind, is it possible to set up a fan on deck and blow wind into the sail to make the boat move?

Electroplating
Source Institutions
In this electrochemistry activity, learners will explore two examples of electroplating.

Laser Lissajous: PVC Version
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use a laser pointer and two small rotating mirrors to create a variety of fascinating patterns, which can be easily and dramatically projected on a wall or screen.

Make a Sun Clock: Tell Time with the Sun
Source Institutions
Before there were clocks, people used shadows to tell time. In this outdoor activity, learners will discover how to tell time using only a compass, a pencil, a handy printout, and a sunny day.

Eddy Currents
Source Institutions
In this activity related to magnetism and electricity, learners discover that a magnet falls more slowly through a metallic tube than it does through a nonmetallic tube.

Conductivity Meter
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build a simple qualitative conductivity tester with a battery, bulb and foil.

Flying Tinsel
Source Institutions
Play keep away from your cat by using a static charge to suspend a piece of tinsel in the air. This Exploratorium produced activity also features videos to help create and learn about this phenomenon.

Aluminum-Air Battery: Foiled again!
Source Institutions
Construct a simple battery that's able to power a small light or motor out of foil, salt water, and charcoal. A helpful video, produced by the Exploratorium, guides you along on this activity.

Cup Speaker
Source Institutions
Make your own speaker with a magnet, wire, and paper cup! If you have a radio with a headphone plug and an old pair of headphones, this is a great tinkering activity.

Gel Electrophoresis
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners simulate the process of DNA fingerprinting by using electricity to separate colored dyes.

Make a Speaker: A Coil, a Magnet, and Thou
Source Institutions
Make your own simple speaker so you can listen to your favorite radio station. Just wind a coil, attach it to a piece of cardboard or Styrofoam, hold a magnet nearby, and listen.

Stripped-down Motor
Source Institutions
In this activity, you'll make an electric motor--a simple version of the electric motors found in toys, tools, and appliances everywhere.

Glowing Pickle
Source Institutions
In this activity, high voltage is applied across a pickle to emit a yellow glow. This activity should only be conducted by skilled adults and is best suited as a demonstration.

Short Circuit
Source Institutions
In this activity about electricity, learners explore what happens when you blow a fuse.

Motor Effect
Source Institutions
In this activity about electricity and magnetism, learners examine what happens when a magnet exerts a force on a current-carrying wire.

Shake Table
Source Institutions
This activity guide includes instructions on how to build a "Shake Table" by mounting an eccentric mass (off center) on the shaft of a small dc motor.

Laser Lissajous: Binder Clip Version
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners use a laser pointer and two small rotating mirrors to create a variety of fascinating patterns, which can be easily and dramatically projected on a wall or screen.

Motor Effect
Source Institutions
See what force a magnet has on a wire that has current running through it: will it push it, pull it, or will nothing happen? This is the foundation of a simple electric motor.

Magnetic Shielding: Magnetic lines stop here
Source Institutions
Testing magnets is always a fun pastime, but here, we're going beyond "will it attract the magnet?" In this activity, learners will investigate which materials allow magnetic fields to pass through or