• Question: Do you still carry out scientific experiments at home?

    Asked by to Kate, Kieren, Nicola, Rowena, Roy on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Rowena Fletcher-Wood

      Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      Sometimes. I like to do things like boil red cabbage to make acid-base indicator or try out demonstrations with pressure or solidifying things. I tried to make gunpowder once, but that didn’t work. Mostly I play around with food, like trying to set toffee to different hardnesses, putting coloured skittles in alcohol to dissolve or using garlic to turn some food blue(!). There’s so much stuff to investigate it’s always worth trying new ideas out!

    • Photo: Roy Adkin

      Roy Adkin answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      Mostly when I cook. Sometimes when I need to clean things I will make cleaning solutions (NOT advisable unless you know what you are doing!! You should NEVER mix cleaning fluids at home) and I often undertake little experiments with my nephews and nieces…I made PVA glue/borax slime with them once…that was messy 🙂

    • Photo: Kate Nicholson

      Kate Nicholson answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      Ummmmm, I did take an empty water cooler bottle home to make a whoosh bottle with, it is hidden safely in my shed for now, but it does do fantastic burning. Not so easy to sneak the methanol home from work, but I can get propanol from the cake decorating shop that does the trick 😉
      I did a lot more when I was little and my dad got his big chemistry kit as part of his degree. That was amazing fun :). He also taught me to make rockets from matches, and set the flying from the barbecue.

Comments