supercharged science (Unit Zero)

by Aurora Lipper Creator

Unit Zero: Overview There are 18 key scientific principles, many of which kids need to know before they hit college. These key concepts are what the e-Science program is built around. We’re going to overview these top scientific principles and show you how to dive into each one on a deeper level. You might be surprised at the simple materials we use, or even how basic the experiment setups are. Real science doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive. In fact, you can demonstrate most of these “spades of science” for dirt cheap, and I will show you how step-by-step. Are you ready? One of the best things you can do with this unit is to take notes in a journal as you go. Snap photos of yourself doing the actual experiment and paste them in alongside your drawing of your experimental setup. This is the same way scientists document their own findings, and it’s a lot of fun to look back at the splattered pages later on and see how far you’ve come. I always jot down my questions that didn’t get answered with the experiment across the top of the page so I can research it more later. Are you ready to get started? Scientific Concepts: Build a simple compass and use it to detect magnetic effects, including Earth’s magnetic field. Understand how electric currents produce magnetic fields Know how to build and use an electromagnet Construct electric motors, electric generators, and simple devices, such as doorbells and earphones. Understand that magnets have two poles (north and south) and that like poles repel each other while unlike poles attract each other. Differentiate observation from inference (interpretation) and know scientists’ explanations come partly from what they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations. Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships. Conduct multiple trials to test a prediction and draw conclusions about the relationships between predictions and results. Construct and interpret graphs from measurements. Follow a set of written instructions for a scientific investigation. Shopping List for Unit Zero: Overview of eScience Ball (any size) Garden hose attached to a faucet 4 sheets of paper Ping pong ball Small funnel (you can even make one out of a cone of paper) A couple of large latex balloons, un-inflated Two thin magnets (you’re going to break one) Strong, thick magnet (Radio Shack #64-1877) Large nail (at least 2 inches long) Spool of magnet wire (Radio Shack #278-1345) D-cell battery Paper clips Compass (any cheap one will work) Glass of water Glow-in-the-dark toy Cup of hot coffee Can of soda Optional: 12V DC motor (Radio Shack #273-256) Optional: Bi-Polar 2-color LED (Radio Shack #276-012) Optional: Camera flash (you can use sunlight instead if needed)