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Science Projects: Slowing Down Time with High-Speed Video

In earlier science projects articles about sulfur hexafluoride gas and non-newtonian fluids, we at least had a little bit of theory and explanation to go with the goofy videos. Not so much in this entry. It turns out that filming a video in very high speed, then watching it in slow motion, is just fun. What could be better than watching somebody get hit in the head with a water balloon over the course of a minute? [youtube]tZ8TJ4E_ihY[/youtube] Remember to always wear safety goggles when attempting this next one: [avi width="320" height="240"]http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom7/highspeed/bulbdrop.avi[/avi] The video above was made by Tom and Mike, see more of their videos here. And of course, the obligatory Mentos / Diet Coke slow-motion explosion: [youtube]GfLBOupDdX8[/youtube]

Science Projects: Floating on Hexafluoride

Whatever floats your boat: [youtube]1PJTq2xQiQ0[/youtube] This cool science demonstration shows a light "boat" floating on a sea of sulfur hexafluoride gas.  The gas is significantly denser than the surrounding air, but still transparent, so it looks like a magic trick. This experiment might not be as easy to do as our last article about non-newtonian fluids, although you can apparently get sulfur hexafluoride for as little as $10 a pound.  If you do get your hands on some, the floating on thin air tick is just one fun thing to do with it. Most people have performed the serious scientific experiment knowns as "inhaling a helium balloon." If you inhale helium, your voice will change to a higher pitch because the speed of sound in helium is higher than in air. With Sodium Hexafluoride, the opposite is true, and you'll have a Barry White-style bass. [youtube]a9ifZlu6YKk[/youtube] Don't inhale too much, or release it in an enclosed space - because it's heavier than air, it can stick around and make it hard to get enough oxygen.