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I tend to refer to that one as "The Custard Explosion" If you truly want to get the feel of alchemy, you need to do an experiment that last 6 months, has to be done at obscure times of the night, involves copious amounts of sulphur and mercury, much heating, casting of horoscopes, praying and self-mortification, guided by incomprehensible instructions and producing ambiguous and baffling results, then get handed a bag of mysterious powder by a man in black with a shrouded face in your garden in the middle of the night (well, it worked for Robert Boyle!) IAN SIMMONS Complete the following sentence: That carbon-based living organism over there perched on a tree branch has a beak, so it must be a) a weasel, b) a big magnetic robot, c) a bird. Science Centre - www.techniquest.org Forteana - www.forteantimes.com Sound Reviews and Science Writing www.nthposition.com > 3. Powder explosions using custard powder, cornflour or similar. > Spectacular, ecxiting, guaranteed to make you an instant hero among the > under 12s, and quite surprising. Most people don't expect to be able to get > a four foot plume of flame out of a tablespoon of custard powder. > > If you choose to do 3, don't call it 'exploding custard', though. This term > is a trademark owned by my friend Ian Russell, who has been doing science > shows under this name, and including the eponymous demonstration, for the > last 15 years or so. > > as interactive as possible for the children by carrying out some > > experiments. > > > > Does anyone have any suggestions for simple experiments? I have had a look > > on the internet but am looking for experiments that don't need the presence > > of a fume hood, bunsen burner or complicated equipement as I am going to be > > giving the talk in a museum lecture theatre. > > > > Cheers > > > > Katherine > > > > PS The other topics I am suppose to be covering are: > > - illusions > > - magnetism/levitation > > - mechanics of flight > > - magical creatures > > - herbal remedies > > I already have some simple hands on experiments and talks for most of these > > subjects but any other suggestions would be great. > > > > ********************************************************************** > > > > 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, > > send an email to [log in to unmask] with the following message: > > > > set psci-com nomail > > > > 2. To resume email from the list, send the following message: > > > > set psci-com mail > > > > 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the > > message: > > > > leave psci-com > > > > 4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list > > archive, > > can be found at the list web site: > > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html > > > > 5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and > > science > > and society can be found at http://psci-com.org.uk > > ********************************************************************** > > ********************************************************************** > > 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, > send an email to [log in to unmask] with the following message: > > set psci-com nomail > > 2. To resume email from the list, send the following message: > > set psci-com mail > > 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: > > leave psci-com > > 4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, > can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html > > 5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science > and society can be found at http://psci-com.org.uk > ********************************************************************** > ********************************************************************** 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the following message: set psci-com nomail 2. To resume email from the list, send the following message: set psci-com mail 3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message: leave psci-com 4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html 5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science and society can be found at http://psci-com.org.uk **********************************************************************