Awesome Experiments

Schlieren imaging is a method of visualization which plays with light refraction to capture images of normally invisible fluid patterns like air movement. Here, Veritasium walks us through a variant which uses colored filters to produce some astounding images.

Kyle Hill from Nerdist recently posted a brief clip that shows the crazy stuff that happens when you inject compressed air into a bed filled with sand. We spotted this 2012 video from The Royal Institution that shows much more, and provides an explanation of the physics at work.

While most aluminum is covered with a protective oxide layer, it’s possible that it could wear away over time. After watching NileRed’s clip showing how mercury can interact with exposed aluminum, we’re more than happy with it being banned from air travel.

After subjecting a goo-filled Stretch Armstrong figure to his shredder (or was it the other way around?), PressTube decided to stick the figure inside of a vacuum chamber. I still fun to see him all pumped up, but we were hoping for a big boom.

Students from the Ithaca College Low Temperature Physics Lab created a neat version of a quantum levitation track. It still uses supercooling and magnets to work its magic, but adds a fun (and literal) twist to by running its course around a triple-twist Möbius Strip.

So what happens if you drop a 91 pound replica of Thor’s mighty hammer onto a trampoline from a height of 13 feet? Will it tear through the surface, or go flying into the air? Place your bets as BrainfooTV puts this quandary to the test.

Thermite is some nasty stuff, but the extremely hot-burning material needs an ignition source around 3,000° F to get started. Grant Thompson decided to see if the solar light concentrator he built is up to the challenge of sparking a thermite blaze.

Every time we think we’re done with the fidget spinner fad, somebody comes along and amps these silly playthings up to the next level. The Backyard Scientist decided that he couldn’t spin his fast enough, so he added a propulsion system, and upping the danger factor by 100x.

The process of sandwiching oil and ferrofluid between sheets of glass is messy to say the least, but the result is amazing – the ability actually view the radiating fields created by magnets placed on the surface of the glass. Magnetic Games shows us how its done.

For Inventables’ fidget spinner challenge, Giaco Whatever decided to see if he could make one that could float in mid air. After a bunch of experimentation, he was able to get it to work by placing it between two opposing magnetic fields, and spinning it for stabilization.

Beyond its liquid properties, the other cool thing about mercury is that it’s magnetic. Roobert33 shows how electromagnets can be used to change the direction that mercury flows in. It would be cool to build an Escher-style fountain that flows uphill with this method.

Grant “The King of Random” Thompson previously tested the myth that mixing propane and Coca-Cola would turn it into a pressure-packed rocket, and failed. He tried it again with butane, and the highly-flammable stuff works brilliantly. Definitely don’t try this one at home.

Tom Scott headed to the University of Manchester’s High Voltage Laboratory to see what would happen when a DJI Phantom 3 drone gets struck by more than 1 million volts of electricity from a simulated lightning bolt. TL;DW: don’t fly your drone in a thunderstorm.

The guys at Photonicinduction like to apply way too much current to items. In their latest experiment, they overpowered the electric fan from a car’s radiator, turning it into an impromptu drone before its motor ultimately met its maker.

Engineering firm Teratec uses a shake table to demonstrate how hydraulic dampers can be used to offset forces on a structure, reducing the likelihood of the sort of resonant frequency disasters which can happen from earthquakes, wind, or other vibrations.

The Vacuum Chamber answers a question we never knew we wanted the answer to until now: What does a giant marshmallow gummy bear look like when you suck all the air out of the room? Press play and find out.

The Backyard Scientist takes a look at an interesting property of the liquid metal substance gallium when it’s mixed with water and sulfuric acid. The metal turns into perfectly round beads, then coalesces with an almost magnetic force due to surface tension.

The Beyond the Press channel raises the stakes (and steaks) against the old Red Hot Nickel Ball folks, heating up a cube of tungsten to over 3000º C (~5432º F), then uses it to quickly cook some meat and take on a shockingly resiliant watermelon.

That acid green stuff in your car’s radiator not only helps keep your engine cool, it keeps it from freezing. Grant Thompson wanted to know if it’s possible to freeze the stuff with liquid nitrogen. The slow-mo of the nitrogen hitting the table is literally super cool.

Even though it sounds like a sci-fi weapon, vacuum cannons are actually easy to build. The only “hard” part is sucking the air out of them to reduce the air pressure. NightHawkInLight made one using a 4″ diameter PVC pipe and a 3″ diameter end cap as its projectile.

One of the few self-illuminating materials to find its way in front of The Slow Mo Guys‘ lens is this liquid copper being poured at more than 1200ºF. We’re sure glad they didn’t splash any on their schmancy high-speed camera.

The Slow-Mo Guys ignore all the warning labels on a bunch of small lithium batteries, exposing them to fire, and turning them into tiny rocket ships and bombs in front of their Phantom high-speed camera. We can only imagine how nasty large batteries would be if they blew up.

We’ve seen the fire tornado trick before, but if you know Colin Furze, you know he’s always got to go to 11. Now, the British madman has gone and built himself a 20-foot-tall spinning fire rig that’s every bit as terrifying as an actual tornado. Oh, and it shoots fireworks.