Praxis: Share the wonders of science with others
By Patty Rooks - Praxis on May 4, 2019.
praxis@praxismh.ca@PraxisMedHat It is that time of the year – National Science and Technology Week has started! What a great opportunity to celebrate and embrace Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Each and every one of us is affected or touched by science each and every day. I know that is hard to believe, but it is true! I am a firm believer in that there is no better way to celebrate the wonders of science than sharing it with others. Let’s get started! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – scissors – sheet of white paper – pencil – bottle with a narrow neck on it – good sturdy table – ruler Procedure 1. Your goal here it to remove the paper out from under the bottle without tipping the bottle. Is it possible? What science is involved here? 2. Using the ruler, measure a piece of paper about 10 cm x 30 cm. Cut this strip of paper out. 3. Place the strip of paper on the edge of the table. Have about 5cm hanging out over the edge of the table. 4. Set the bottle upside down on this strip of paper. 5. Take the pencil and CAREFULLY roll it up onto the pencil. 6. Slowly keep rolling the pencil WITHOUT tipping the bottle over. 7. Is this possible? What is going on? In this activity you investigated inertia. As you pull the paper out (and yes, it is possible), the bottle will stay motionless due to inertia. You are unable to tip the bottle over (as long as you go slowly) because inertia keeps it exactly in the place you started with. Patty Rooks is senior scientific consultant at PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. 22-21
