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Some things in this world just don\'t mix - dogs and cats, oil and water, needles and balloons. Everyone knows that a balloon\'s worst fear is a sharp object...even a sharpened, wooden cooking skewer. With a little scientific knowledge about polymers you\'ll be able to perform a seemingly impossible task... pierce a balloon with a wooden skewer without popping it. Suddenly piercing takes on a whole new meaning! How Does it Work? The secret is to uncover the portion of the balloon where the latex molecules are under the least amount of stress or strain. If you could see the rubber that makes up a balloon on a microscopic level, you would see many long strands or chains of molecules. These long strands of molecules are called polymers, and the elasticity of these polymer chains causes rubber to stretch. Blowing up the balloon stretches these strands of polymer chains. Even before drawing the dots on the balloon, you probably noticed that the middle of the balloon stretches more than either end. You wisely chose to pierce the balloon at a point where the polymer molecules were stretched out the least. The long strands of molecules stretched around the skewer and kept the air inside the balloon from rushing out. It’s easy to accidentally tear the rubber if you use a dull skewer or forget to coat the end of the skewer with vegetable oil. When you remove the skewer, you feel the air leaking out through the holes where the polymer strands were pushed apart. Eventually the balloon deflates… but it never pops. Oh, just to prove your point, try pushing the skewer through the middle part of an inflated balloon. Well, at least you went out with a bang!

It\'s a brand new tie dye technique without the mess... and the results are amazing! This experiment combines chemistry and art to create a design that is sure to get lots of attention

Voltaic batteries of all shapes and sizes are objects that convert chemical energy into electrical energy. You probably use batteries to power your cell phone, iPod, or any number of wireless gadgets. But did you know that you can actually use chemical energy stored within a lemon to power a small LED light? It\'s true, and we\'ll show you exactly how in the Fruit-Power Battery experiment. How does it work? Batteries are comprised of two different metals suspended in an acidic solution. With the Fruit-Power Battery, the two metals are zinc and copper. The zinc is in the galvanization of the nail, and the penny is actually copper-plated zinc. The acid comes from the citric acid inside the lemon. The two metal components are electrodes, the parts of a battery where electrical current enters and leaves the battery. With a zinc and copper set-up, the current will flow out of the penny and into the nail. The electricity also passes through the acidic solution inside the lemon. Once the Fruit-Power Battery is connected to the LED, you create a complete circuit. As the electrical current passes through the LED, it lights the LED, and passes back through all of the lemons.

What color is black? Some people answer with a simple \\\"black,\\\" while others respond with something like \\\"black is the absence of all color.\\\" If you have ever run out of black paint or your black pen ran dry, you probably know how to make the color black. Mix a little blue with red and yellow and green and orange and purple and you finally make the color black. Do the people who make black pens mix different colors to make black? Using a technique called chromatography, let\\\'s find out exactly what makes up the color in that black pen.

The Folding Egg activity is actually an extension of the classic Rubber Egg experiment with a really fun twist. Just imagine the look on your friends\' faces when you show them an egg and then proceed to fold it in half several times until it forms a small white ball! Wait... it gets better. Just bounce the \"folded egg\" between your hands and the egg reappear. How does it work? The acetic acid in the vinegar breaks down the calcium carbonate in the eggshell, and the bubbles that form on the surface of the egg are carbon dioxide gas. Eventually the hard shell of the egg disappears entirely and all that remains is the egg membrane. Because you have already blown out the contents of the egg, the membrane is just full of air. You can fold it up and the air will sneak out the tiny hole in the membrane you used to blow out the egg. The membrane will compress down into practically nothing. As you gently shake the \"folded egg,\" the air will re-enter the membrane, expanding back into its original shape and volume.

For years we have been making seven layer density columns. We challenged our team to not only add two more liquids, but add seven objects that would float at different levels. The outcome... the Amazing 9 Layer Density Tower!

Cause a packet of ketchup to rise and fall on command in a bottle of water. People will think that you have the ability to move objects with your mind! Telekinesis? No, just cool science.

here is a cool table trick to perform while you are waiting for the food to come.