Science Demonstrations
We have been building a wide variety of science demonstrations since about 2000, originally for CHaOS (Cambridge Hands On Science), and our own shows but more recently for Lab in a Lorry, The Naked Scientists shows, the Cambridge Science Centre, the RI christmas lectures and others.
Having done a huge amount of loading experiments in and out of vans we have now become obsessed with making experiments pack as efficiently as possible, preferably into a standard box or if that is not possible, then as a clean flat object which will pack nicely.
A suitcase that looks normal-until you pick it up and try to turn a corner, when it all goes a bit weird...
This demo shows how how you can produce light by heating something up electrically in a reliable and impressive way.
A monitor which appears to be broken, it just shows a white screen whatever is plugged into it. However it you put a piece of polariser up to it and a picture suddenly appears.
A beautiful phases of matter analogy that can show what is happening to the particles during phase changes.
Who wouldn't like a three metre column of spinning fire in their science show?
Most space rockets are launched from the equator. Why is this?
A pair of trolleys with very low friction, so you can throw fuel one way and the trolley will go in the other - a rocket.
Vacuum bazookas are a classic demo, which can be used to think about pressure and momentum. We went slightly further and have produced various repeating versions.
The ancient Indonesians invented a very neat way of creating a fire: they took a cylinder, added a little tinder, then used a piston to compress the air around it very rapidly, heating it up enough for ignition.
This cloud chamber allows you to see tracks from individual alpha and beta particles.