DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
Huge problem: Malaria kills millions, but you can’t just spray DDT anymore to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes (DDT also wipes out, oh, majestic bald eagles). What do do? You could search for another toxin to spray. Or, if you’re 3ric Johanson at Intellectual Ventures Laboratory, you could invent a new gadget. A gadget that tracks […]
Bob Davis, whom some of you may remember for his high-voltage can crusher, is back at it with this 2KV, 1600A, 1500 μF 10-capacitor discharge bank that can be used to crush cans and, most amusingly IMHO, launch washers high into the air with a sound that really has to be heard to be appreciated. Bob’s video might benefit from a bit of editing; clicking the embedded player above should take you right to the money shot around 4:35. There’s also a good can-crushing right around 5:50.
Instructables user kstruve writes: I currently live in the Phoenix, Arizona area, which gets mighty hot in the summer. This summer, we’ve had several days around or above 110 degrees. I have twin baby boys, and despite cracking the windows, using reflective seat covers and running the A/C full blast when driving them around, their […]
By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics Continuing our fiber arts theme of past weeks, today’s Math Monday offers an excellent example of mathematical needlepoint. This piece illustrates a Hilbert curve, taken to the sixth approximation. The continuously changing color of the thread makes it easy for your eye not to lose its place […]
The Dumponaut, an art project envisioning a home made out of a dumpster. There are countless external controls on our existence, and a big one is the trade of capital for goods. The loophole lives in dumpsters: where there is surplus, there is an exit from the system. but it isn’t a true exit – […]
Hans, a maker from Trondheim, Norway, sent us a link to this Wimshurst Influence Machine he bought. He asked about the history of the device from the seller and found out that it was used in a grade school, from 1911 to 1951, and was owned by the principal. Nice job on the restoration: The […]
Now through September 30, 2010, we’re offering 50% OFF all of our Science Room products in the Maker Shed. This is a great deal for any chemistry hobbyists, teachers, or schools. Just remember to use coupon code “MADSCIENCE” at checkout to receive your 50% OFF!
