Science Smarts: A simple trick to wow the guests
By Patty Rooks on October 7, 2023.
I know some of you will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, and may be looking for some amazing science “tricks” you can show your dinner guests?! OK, maybe you are not all like me – anyway, here is a pretty interesting science “trick” to amaze your guests. Let’s get started! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – Empty wine bottle – Cork – Rubber mallet – Wooden stick – Cloth napkin – Science helper/volunteer Procedure 1. Place the cork in the empty wine bottle. It may be difficult as you need to get it in there the entire way. If needed, carefully use the rubber mallet and the use the stick to push it into the bottom of the bottle. 2. Hand the bottle to your science helper and ask them to get the cork out of the bottle (without smashing it of course). 3. Make them think about it – hypothesize, come up with some possible solutions. Do not allow them to just give up. 4. When your science helper asks for help you can try the following: a. Push the cloth napkin about half way down into the bottle. b. Tip the bottle upside down, gently shake it allowing the cork to fall between the napkin and the side of the bottle. c. Grab the end of the napkin sticking outside of the bottle and gently pull. d. Wow, the cork should pull right out! What is going on? It is a pretty amazing trick to watch, and the science behind it is simply FRICTION. When they make the wine, they use a cork because it creates friction between the cork and the glass making a tight seal. When you remove the friction by putting the cloth napkin in between the glass and the cork, you can easily pull it right out. Mark your calendar! Praxis Family Science Olympics will be at Medicine Hat College on Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As always this is a FREE event if you attend with at least one adult over the age of 18. Keep reading here each week for a sneak peak! Patty Rooks, Senior Scientific Consultant 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. Address: #12 826 11th St. SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca. 23-22
