INSIDE THE INVENTIVE MIND Matt Ganis IBM Social Media Analytics  Olympian Internet Firewall Creator

Just plain cool.

What Happens When Lava Meets Ice [video]

Materials: 1. A wooden skewer 2. A clothespin 3. 1 cup of water 4. 2-3 cups of sugar 5. A tall narrow glass

Steps: 1. First, clip the skewer into the clothespin so that it hangs down inside the glass and is 1 in from the bottom of the glass. 2. Next, remove the skewer and clothespin and put the aside. 3. Then, pour the water into a pan and boil it. 4. Next, pour ¼ cup of sugar into the boiling water and stir till it dissolves. 5. Then, keep adding more sugar, each time stirring until it dissolves. 6. Next, remove the heat and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. 7. Then, ask an adult to pour the mixture into the jar to the top. 8. Next, submerge the skewer into the glass so it is hanging straight down the miss without touching the sides. 9. Finally, put it somewhere where it would not be disturbed and wait for the sugar crystals grow over the next 3-7 days.

Lesson: When you mix water and sugar, you created a saturated mixture, which means that the water could only hold the sugar if it was very hot. As the water cools, the sugar turns into crystals on the skewer.

Fun Science Experiments

I remember when I was a child I had a book of fun science experiments. There were some experiments that I wanted to do and others that I did do. So, I feel like sharing some of them because everyone should do them some point in their lives. Be it they do it with friends, with their kids, siblings or whatnot. It’s fun and it’ll help to add to the good memories we already have.

1. Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption - One of the most popular experiments of modern times is the Diet Coke and Mentos Geyser. Made popular by Steve Spangler, this experiment is a lot of fun and sure to amaze your friends and family (assuming you do it outside rather than in the living room).

2. Invisible Ink with Lemon Juice - Making invisible ink is a lot of fun, you can pretend you are a secret agent as you keep all your secret codes and messages hidden from others. All you need is some basic household objects and the hidden power of lemon juice.

3. Make Your Own Rock Candy - Also known as Sugar Crystals and it’s my favorite experiment to do because it’s easy and tasty. They are made by crystallizing sugar and making it yourself means that you can make as many as you want, with any color and flavor you want.

4. Glow in the Dark - It’s always fun to make and see things glow in the dark. There’s actually a lot of experiments that deal with this, from making drinks that glow, glowing water, fake neon sign, glow in the dark alum crystals, glow in the dark crystal snowflakes, glow in the dark ink, glowing slime, glowing bubbles, glowing flower, and so on. 

5. Change the Color of a Flower - This is a very simple experiment and only requires a few things to make it possible. Water, food coloring, a cup (or vase) and a flower. It’s always fun to see a flower change into a different color that’s uncommon for it’s kind. Such as blue or purple roses, aqua magnolias, green carnations, etc. 

This is a homopolar motor.

It’s really easy to experiment with at home. It is driven by the Lorentz force - the force which is exerted by a magnetic field on a moving electric charge. When a battery is placed on top of a magnet, and a wire then connects the top of the battery back down to the magnet, the circuit is complete.

Students in our Summer Schools were making these the other day. This one won the ‘most creative design’ competition <3

A perfect aerodynamic balance that makes the paper plan to float…

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How To Make Glowing Bubbles

What You’ll Need:

Bubble Mix

Pliers

Highlighters

Watch: Glow-In-The-Dark Tricks You Need To Try