Most
of the campers this week have
been here prior years and decided to come back for more science
fun.
Chemistry In chemistry the campers
learned how
chromatography can be used to determine the kind of ink that was found
at a crime scene.
They used a microscope
to examine
materials and recorded their observations in a notebook
so that they could later use the information to help solve a crime.
They recorded and
categorized
fingerprints.
Learned how to identify
five
different white powders. The chemistry instructor
this year is
one of the camp alumni from many
years ago.
Astronomy In their astronomy class
students built a calculator that could be used to determine the time.
If
they knew what day it was and they and they had a view of the north
circumpolar
constellations.
They also made a
spectroscope that
could be used to study the composition of a light source.
They built
rocket launchers.
Then constructed rockets
to be
launched. The astronomy instructor
is an
alumnus of the camp as
well.
Physics The students learned
some of
the effects extreme cold has on the physical, electrical, and chemical
properties of various materials.
This web
page has some information about what they studied. We also took
advantage of liquid nitrogen's properties to make ice cream ready to
serve in about 15
seconds.
Another day they
measured the
coefficient of friction of some materials
found in a fast food restaurant.
Then recorded their measurements on a data
sheet and did some calculations to arrive at the result.
And determined the
viscosity of salad
dressing, hand soap,
ketchup and other liquids that you might find there.
They
measured the current drawn by a motor that was turning a cylinder in a
cup of each substance.
The more viscous it was, the harder it was
for the motor to turn it, and the more current was required.
They made "musical"
instruments out
of straws.
Built Cartesian divers
from straws
and modeling clay.
They really didn't
believe that two
eggs would support 4 or more of their classmates.
Add one more and this is the
result. The actual weight, in
pounds,
supported in each
of the classes: Orange 231.8, Yellow
241.7, Green
249.3, Red 261.8, and Blue 269.0
Computers Campers studied computer
logic
and then applied it to puzzles.
They started out in a circle with
their arms crossed then tried to all get turned around without leaving
go.
They then tried to explain what they did in simple steps.
This was an illustration of how programers must enter precise and
detailed
instructions on the computer if they are to accomplish their task.
They learned to use a
program that
allowed them to create a composite drawing of a suspect.
One of the goals was to
make a
picture of the Astronomy instructor. Here are some of the
results.
They enjoyed trying to
beat one of
the early computer games, Asteroids.
Biology Owl pellets were
carefully dissected
to determine just what the owl had eaten.
Most of the kids were
fascinated even if they were a little put off by just what they were
seeing.
Can you determine blood
types?
Well they know how after this class.
Remember the crime
mentioned earlier,
well they considered how various weapons could be used
And what could be
learned from
the blood splatters that would be produced. .
Thursday
we had contests all day
I will add a picture of the crime scene when it is available
Periodic
table scrabble The goal is to write
down as many
words as you can think of using only
the letter combinations from the periodic table.
Paper
skyscraper Build the highest
possible self
supporting tower using only 1 sheet of paper and tape.
Aluminum
foil boat Given a square of
aluminum foil,
build a boat that can carry the greatest number of marbles.
Water
balloon slingshot You
get points for
accuracy.
Write
it Build it One of your team members
writes a
description of a Lego block structure. Then the others have to
assemble a
matching structure with only that
description for guidance.
Egg
drop The eggs (entirely
unprotected) were
raised up to 6.5 meters (21.3 ft.)
above the floor. Then dropped into a
catch box that
the kids had built on their
own. The greater the drop and
shorter the
catch box the higher the
score.
The variety of designs was remarkable.
Some
of the contestants, photographed as their eggs were falling.
There was qite a splash when the limit had been exceeded or they
bounced out of the catcher.
We were all
amazed at the performance of some of the designs.
The winners
A visit to COSI in Columbus Ohio
wound
up the week.
My crew for the day.
Some of the kids rode a unicycle on a high wire more than one and a
half stories up.
A new section at COSI this year was all about animation.
You could create your own show or add sound effects to one that someone
else had drawn.
Another display allowed them to manipulate video effects.
A swarm of killer bees or a tornado could appear on the screen with our
intrepid reporters.
Or they could find themselves dissolving into pixels or swirling out of
sight.
.
Just reading from a teleprompter in a TV studio of about 1962 evoked
some laughter.
And they didn't even come close to breaking the phone booth packing
record set when I was about their age.
They were able to lift a car weighing nearly 1.25 tons or spin a
granite ball that weighed 2.5 tons.
Put a rubber ball in the device in the last picture and air pressure
would fire it high into the air.
Check this page
for more
information about the camp