MSU ST - Demonstrations and Shows

COMPREHENSIVE SHOWS
Demonstration	Keywords	S	H	E	M	O	Description
S=Appropriate for the stage; H=Appropriate for hands-on setting; E=Appropriate for elementary school; M=Middle school; O=High school
Astronomy Show	Solar system Sun Stars Astronomy Cosmology Big Bang Galaxies Doppler effect						A modular one-hour show exploring fundamental concepts in astronomy.
Environmental Show	Energy Environment Climate change Greenhouse effect Recycling Ecosystems						A modular one-hour show exploring fundamental concepts in environmental science.
FRIB Show	Nuclear physics Superconductors Nuclei Isotopes Radioactivity Supernovae Cosmic Rays Particle accelerators						A modular show exploring nuclear physics and MSU's new $550 million dollar nuclear science initiative, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, developed in coordination with NSCL Outreach personnel.
Pressure Show	bernoulli moving air vacuum pressure						This show demonstrates how differences in air pressure make normal everyday objects act. Have you ever seen marshmallows placed in a vacuum?... Ever wondered how an airplane flies?
Periodic Table Show	periodic table elements Chemistry						A roughly 15 minute scripted stage show guiding students through the structure of the periodic table and the differences between the elements.
QM Show	photoelectric effect uncertainty principle schrodingers cat paradox quantum tunneling nanotechnology quantum mechanics						A roughly 45 minute scripted "crash course" into quantum mechanics. Uses a variety of demos (including the Tesla coil), a powerpoint slide show and a demonstration of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope imaging carbon atoms.
BIOLOGY
Demonstration	Keywords	S	H	E	M	O	Description
S=Appropriate for the stage; H=Appropriate for hands-on setting; E=Appropriate for elementary school; M=Middle school; O=High school
Banana DNA	genetics agriculture DNA						Students extract a macroscopic strand of DNA from blended banana (or other fruit/vegetable) pulp using a simple ethanol solution.
Buffers and Blood	indicators acids & bases buffers homeostasis pH						Carbon dioxide causes solutions to become acidic, but this occurs more slowly in buffered solutions than non-buffered ones.
Chlorine and Germs	bacteria elements Germs						We demonstrate how chlorine is used as a cleaner in pools, your laundry, etc. by creating an acidic environment. A test tube with living yeast fills a balloon with carbon dioxide, while one with yeast and chlorine does not.
Holey Bread	cellular respiration pH indicators Microscopic organisms						Carbon dioxide produced by cellular respiration in everyday baking yeast causes an indicator to change colors, and the holes in your bread!
Senses and Food Tasting	senses cooking Food						We bake several batches of cookies that look identical but taste very different.
Spectacular Senses	taste hearing touch smell and how they are linked Senses; sight						Three short demos to introduce senses. Focused on taste/smell and sight.
Spicy Science	senses cooking volatile elements Food						A few short experiments to demonstrate extraction of spice as volatile elements based on pH, in oils or water, or surface area
Starch Search	food elements Starch						Adding iodine to starchy foods causes a color change.
The Senses: Find your Blindspot	sight senses Finding blind spots						A demonstration to find a persons blind spot
Predator/Prey	prey adaptation advantages survival predators						Students can act as predators and try to pick from a variety of colored prey sitting upon a colored background. Ex: The black prey blend into the black background better than the white prey.
CHEMISTRY
Demonstration	Keywords	S	H	E	M	O	Description
S=Appropriate for the stage; H=Appropriate for hands-on setting; E=Appropriate for elementary school; M=Middle school; O=High school
Bouncing Raisins	baking soda and vinegar carbonation						Baking soda and vinegar are used to dissolve CO2 into water. Bubbles of this collect on raisins, causing them to float, then sink when the bubbles escape at the water's surface.
Candy Chromatography	forensics Chromatography						We use candy to demonstrate chromatography, an important tool for determining chemical composition!
Candy Conflagration	Combustion. Food Redox						Heating glucose and sodium chlorate induces an extremely exothermic reaction.
Chemiluminescence	lightning Chemiluminescence						A reaction involving luminol and hydrogen peroxide releases light. This can be done on a small scale, or pumped through a giant Spartan logo!
Density Rainbow	floating density						Liquids of different densities and colors are placed in a graduated cylinder to show that the less dense liquids float on the denser ones.
Elephant Toothpaste	exothermic reaction catalyst						Adding KI to a solution of hydrogen peroxide catalyzes a reaction which produces O2 gas. Soap placed into the solution beforehand results in the production of a large quantity of foam.
Exploding Soda	food						Adding Mentos to a bottle of Diet Coke creates a large fountain of soda.
Fireproof Balloon	water Heat capacity						The water within the balloon absorbs the heat energy from a fire lit below it. The balloon doesn't pop because the rubber does not heat up fast enough.
Floating Soap Bubbles	soap levitation gases Density						A reaction produces carbon dioxide, which provides a high-density environment in which air bubbles can float.
Ice Cube Lifter	freezing ice salt melting						Salt and a thread are used to lift an ice cube out of a cup of water. (without tying the thread around it)
Methanol Cannons	explosion fire						A large water bottle is filled with methanol fumes and lit on fire. It creates a large WHOOOFing explosion.
Non-Burning Money	combustion evaporation heat absorption solution						A dollar bill (or towel) is soaked in a solution of methanol and water. When it is lit on fire, the methanol burns away without harming the paper.
Outrageous Ooze	solids liquids colloid non-newtonian fluid phases						Mixing cornstarch and water results in a substance that acts both like a liquid and a solid.
Penny Acid	Cleaners Copper Acids						Pennies are exposed to various acids and other chemicals. Color changes are observed to determine what chemical reactions are taking place.
Polymer milk jug balloon	heat recycling polymers						Once a heat gun has been used to melt the side of a milk jug, blowing into the jug causes that side to balloon outward and become thinner and more flexible.
Potassium Permanganate and Glycerine	surface area redox reactions reaction rate						When glycerine is added to potassium permanganate a white smoke and then a flame is evolved. By giving different surface areas to the reactants one can cause the reaction to happen faster or slower.
Rainbow Connection	music bases indicators acids color						Acid/base chemistry is applied to perform beautiful color changing reactions to the sweet music of Kermit the Frog!
Red Cabbage	bases indicators acids						Make an acid/base indicator out of red cabbage juice and use it to test the pH of household substances
Rip the can	packaging Redox reactions						A cupric chloride solution is used to weaken the aluminum of a supermarket soda can. The can is then ripped in half with ease.
Science of Salt	food phases transportation Salt						Adding salt to soda forms a geyser, adding salt to ice causes freezing point depression and melting.
Shaking solution (Blue)	redox reactions Indicators						We use methyl blue to change the color of a solution. Oxygen introduced to the solution by shaking causes oxidation (blue color), letting the solution settles prompts reduction (clear color).
Tie-dye milk	chemistry agriculture surface tension density Biology						Students add food coloring to whole milk. They then add a drop of soap to reduce surface tension and generate far-out patterns.
Tyndall effect	sky color dispersion Light						An emulsion is created using milk and water. A red light or laser shone through the liquid illustrates dispersion.
PHYSICS
Demonstration	Keywords	S	H	E	M	O	Description
S=Appropriate for the stage; H=Appropriate for hands-on setting; E=Appropriate for elementary school; M=Middle school; O=High school
Angular Momentum	conservation angular momentum						A volunteer sits on a rotating stool and starts themselves spinning by holding and turning a spinning wheel.
Bed of nails	Pressure						A well-trained volunteer lies between two sheets of nails. Another volunteer then carefully breaks a cinder block over their chest using a sledgehammer. This is a component of the pressure show.
Bernoulli's Principle	bernouli's principle airplane wings air pressure						Blowing air over the top of a beach ball and 2 liter pop bottles causes them to levitate because the moving air above them exerts less pressure than static air.
Bowling Ball - Question of Faith	kinetic potential energy conservation						A bowling ball is suspended from a long rope to the ceiling. A demonstrator stands against a wall holding the bowling ball against their nose. The ball is let go. Will it smash into their face on the return swing?
Cartesian Diver	boyancy pressure						By squeezing a bottle you can alter the pressure inside the bottle. The changing pressure causes a diver to bob up and down.
Crush the can	heat boiling pressure						A can containing some water is heated until boiling, then is inverted and submerged in water. When the water vapor in the condenses due to decreased temperture, the air pressure inside drops and the can is crushed.
Doppler ball	sound waves Doppler effect						As a ball with a tone generator inside it is tossed between students, they can hear the rise and fall in the pitch of the sound.
Dry Ice House	carbon dioxide fire extinguisher						Watch as dry ice placed in the corner of a house, slowly turns into carbon dioxide gas and puts out the fire.
Edmund Mirage	mirrors hologram optics						By cleverly placing an object in the middle of two well placed mirrors, a holographic image can be created. Reach out and grab it... if you can.
Falling Chimney	gravity motion						A ball placed on the tip of a hinged board will fall into a cup located partway down the board. This demonstrates how the object, not being accelerated in a horizontal direction, will fall directly downward.
Flame Tube	combustion sound compression flames Waves						We fill a 5-ft metal tube with propane and light a series of holes on the top of the tube. We play a single-tone generator and music through the tube to generate properties of sound waves using patterns in the flames.
Hall's Carriage	motion						When a moving object shoots a ball straight upward, will the ball fall straight down, or move along with the object?
Ice Melter	conductors insulators ice melting thermodynamics Heat transfer						Ice cubes are placed on a two surfaces - one insulating and one conducting. The ice cube on the conducting surface melts much more quickly!
Inertia Trick	gravity Inertia						A ball is suspended on a platform above the cup. When we yank away the platform, the ball falls directly into the cup rather than follow the platform.
Liquid Nitrogen	molecules temperature contraction heat						A show involving several demos with liquid Nitrogen, such as smashing flowers, shrinking balloons, a bimetallic strip, and a frozen raquetball. Focuses on what it means to be hot or cold.
Magdeburg Spheres	vacuum pressure						Using a vacuum pump to remove the air between two metal hemispheres causes them to be difficult to separate.
Marshmallow Smashies	vacuum pressure						Marshmallows are placed in a flask from which the air is removed. The marshmallows puff up and then shrink when the air is removed.
Methanol Cannons	explosions flames volatility Combustion						Well-trained students carefully fill a large water container with methanol and then light the fumes, producing a jet of flame.
Microwave Speed of Light	microwaves electromagnetic spectrum waves Light						We produce a standing wave in a tray of marshmallows using a microwave oven and use the wavelength of the microwave to calculate the speed of light.
Musical Pipes	sound pitch waves						A set of pipes with varying lenths produce different tones when students hit the openings with their hands.
Speed of Light	waves wavelength frequency microwaves light						A plate full of marshmallows placed in a microwave will take on the shape of a standing wave with the wavelength of the microwaves. The frequency of the microwaves can then be used to calculate their speed.
Stroboscope	importance of good sampling methods temporal aliasing way films work						A strobe light is placed on a spinning disc, the frequency of the light bursts is altered so that the pictures on the disc appear to move in different ways.
Swinging buckets	centripetal force Gravity						Water or other objects are placed in a bucket and swung in a circle. Even when the bucket is overhead, the water does not fall out due to the centripetal force acting on it from the rotation of the bucket.
Tesla Coil demo	lightning electricity						A resonant transformer produces a very high voltage which causes air to ionize, resulting in lightning-like sparks.
Thermal fan	thermodynamics electronics Electricity						Using two heat reservoirs at disparate temperatures, we power a small motorized fan. To accompany this demo, we introduce thermodynamics.
Tornado Bottles	flow tornadoes weather Fluid dynamics						We create a "tornado" from water in two large water-cooler jugs to demonstrate the formation of vortexes for efficient water flow.
Two Body Collision: Conservation and Transfer of Energy	conservation of momentum collisions sports Conservation of energy						One ball is bounced on top of another, transferring energy into the top ball and causing it to bounce very high.
Tyndall's Bar Breaker	expansion metal heat						A metal bar is clamped heated near red hot... then clamped at both ends. As the bar (now expanded) starts to cool and contract, it will break in half.
Van De Graff Generator	static charges conductors electricity						The generator causes a charge to build up on its metal dome. The electric field produced by this can be used to demonstrate properties of static electricity.
Where's the Doorknob (Torque/hinge)	Torque						This shows that it is easier to have a longer leaver arm than a short one by lifting a hinged board by a handle close to the hinge or near the end of the board.