Cool Science Tricks

 

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The "Four Fours" Game

Here's an interesting game for older kids. Play it on car trips, in a restaurant while waiting for your food, and so on.

To play this game, try to make the numbers from 0 to 20 (and beyond, if possible) using exactly 4 fours and any math operations that you can think of.

Math operations are things like plus, minus, multiply, divide, square root, to the power of, and so on.

The examples on the right demonstrate some ways of making 0 using exactly 4 fours.

Remember, you can only use the number 4, and you must always use 4 of the number 4 (no more, no less).

We've given you some ideas for making 0, can you make the numbers from 1 to 20 and beyond? It's tricky!

The "Word Ladders" Game

Here's another interesting game to play on car trips, in a restaurant while waiting for your food, and so on.

To play this game, pick two four-letter words, such as "WARM" and "COLD."

Can you change "WARM" to "COLD" by changing one letter at a time so that you have a new four-letter word at each step?

The example on the right shows one way to do it.

Try picking two more four-letter words and see if you can change one into the other in this way!

W A R M

W A R N

B A R N

B O R N

C O R N

C O R D

C O L D

Can You Fold a Piece of Paper More Than 9 Times?

Did you know that it's pretty much impossible to fold any piece of paper in half more than 8 or 9 times?

Give it a try!

Linked Paper Clips

Fold a dollar bill (or any piece of paper) one-third of the way, then attach a paper clip to it.
Fold the other side, then attach a paper clip to it.
Slowly pull the edges of the dollar bill apart.

The picture on the right shows the dollar bill when its edges are pulled almost all the way apart.

When the dollar bill is fully straightened out, the paper clips will fly up into the air, linked together!

Make sure to aim the paper clips away from people!

Traveling Flame

This is fascinating, but be very careful since you'll be dealing with fire!

First light a candle, and have another flame ready (such as another lit candle, or a lit match, or something similar).

Blow out the candle, then quickly place the other flame into the smoke.

If you do it right, the flame will travel down the smoke and re-light the candle!

 

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Consider visiting some of my other websites!

You'll find a Christian ministry with dozens and dozens of articles and answers to many questions that I have received over the years (please feel free to send me your questions and prayer requests!); plus a collection of some of the best self-working card tricks around (no sleight-of-hand required!); plus instructions and pictures which show you how to tie dozens of the most useful rope knots; plus a bunch of amazing/funny/fascinating/interesting videos from around the Web which are all clean and family-friendly; plus lots of reviews of numerous fun and educational (and free!) computer games that you can download, and more!

For a complete list, go to http://www.Layhands.com/DavesWebsites.htm.

Hope you like 'em!



"Cool Science Tricks"
URL: http://www.Layhands.com/ScienceTricks/Page2.htm

Modification History
02/12/2007: Added a link to my new page called "Dave's Websites."
12/27/2005: New page.

Dave Root
Houston, TX, USA

Send e-mail to: dave@Layhands.com