Top 10 Xmas Experiments
Have you got to the point where Christmases are all beginning to merge into each other? Has the spark of excitement you had as a kid failed to ignite in recent years. Well follow our lead and put the magic back into Christmas with our handy guide to ten easy experiments for festive fun.
THE NULL'S TOP CHRISTMAS EXPERIMENTS
(click on the links for the inside story)
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Waking Up Experiment: Hot Drinks In those few moments of calm at the beginning of the day, before the true chaos of Christmas descends, take some time to tap your coffee cup with a spoon. As your cuppa cools down the noise will change, and it's all because there's more to bubbles than meets the eye. (more) |
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Getting Going Experiment: Champagne Now you’re fully awake it’s time to hit the booze – it is Christmas after all. What better way to get into the swing of things than with a glass of bubbly, but how can you stop it frothing over? Well that's simple: you just have to ruin your drink - maybe it's best to use some fizzy pop instead. (more) |
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Mid Morning Experiment: Speed of Light It’s one of the fundamental constants of the Universe, but you can measure with little more than a microwave and a bar of chocolate. Perfect for that mid-morning hiatus when you think you might have had too much chocolate, but the sickness hasn’t quite kicked in yet. (more) |
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Pre-Lunch Experiment: Fancy Flames Stand a candle on the edge of a revolving platform, spin it round and marvel as the flame bizarrely bends inwards towards the centre, before flying off and landing in Gran’s gravy. What better way could there be to get the party spirit flowing? The rest of the meal will be a hoot. (more) |
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Lunch Experiment: Sprouts into Parsnips Personally I love sprouts, but I realise I’m in the minority. If you’re a member of the sprout-hating hoards then here’s a handy trick to make them taste like something else, parsnips for instance. It’s a great way of eating the obligatory brussel without destroying your soul. (more) |
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After Lunch Experiment: Make a Cloud Now lunch is over, some clot is bound to suggest going for a nice long walk to burn off some of your hard won and much loved calories. Luckily you can bring the outside indoors without having to leave the sofa. Make a cloud in a bottle and everyone can feel they’ve had a taste of the great beyond. (more) |
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Afternoon Experiment: Levitate Maltesers How is a malteser like a dribbly jug like a jet engine? It’s all to do with surface tension, and this demonstration is also a perfect way to look cool whilst working your way through a bag of chocolates. How could you possibly spend the afternoon more productively? (more) |
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Teatime Experiment: Green Eggs It’s been a while since lunch and, despite half a hundred weight of chocolates, you’re beginning to feel peckish. You’ve also had enough of relatives young and old pestering you. Freak them out by making a simple tea of red cabbage and green eggs. The rest of the evening is yours. (more) |
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Evening Experiment: Make a Lava Lamp It’s now getting towards the time where you've got to sit back, take a break from the food and get down to some serious relaxing. How better to do that than with the ambient effect of the 1970s must-have lighting: a lava lamp? They're surprisingly easy to make. (more) |
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Night Cap Experiment: A Creamy Treat Well, Christmas Day is drawing to a scientifically satisfying and gluttonous end. There’s just time for a quick nightcap before heading off to bed. And how better to round off the day than with a tasty demonstration of alcohol-induced convection? Crack open the Tia Maria will you. (more) |
These experiments have been adapted from Mick O'Hare's excellent book How to Fossilise your Hamster; see more at www.newscientist.com/hamster. This is the third in a trilogy of books from New Scientist highlighting some of the more light hearted aspects of science. Previous books included Does Anything Eat Wasps? and Why Don't Penguin's Feet Freeze?.
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