Do the sciences intrigue you? If you are looking to start experimenting there are many experiments that can give you a good head start on what the sciences are.
The first experiment is called fruit battery. This experiment is fun, safe, and easy.
You will need to gather together a citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit etc.), a copper nail, screw or wire that is about 2" or 5 cm long, a zinc nail or screw or galvanized nail that is about 2" long and a holiday light with 2" or 5 cm leads.
First take the fruit and roll it around gently on a table. You will want to soften the fruit up just enough to get the juices flowing inside of the fruit but you don not want to break the skin of the fruit.
If you do not want to roll the fruit on a table you can also squeeze the fruit with your hands. Make sure that you do not squeeze it to hard.
After you have adequately softened the fruit stick the zinc and copper nails into the fruit. They need to be about 2" apart and you definitely do not want them touching one another.
Make sure that the nails are secure in the center of the fruit but do not go completely through the fruit. The experiment will not work if you puncture the other end of the fruit.
After the nails are secured in the fruit remove enough of the insulation from the leads of the light to wrap one lead around the zinc nail and one around the copper nail. Sometimes it is very useful to use electrical tape or alligator clips to prevent the wire from falling off the nails.
After you connect the second nail, the light will turn on! This is a fun experiment to do, but without researching why the light turns on there is not much gained from the experience.
The citric acid in the fruits helps the juice to conduct electricity. Knowing that it is the acidic nature of the fruit that is conducting the energy you may want to think about the other fruits and vegetables that could work as a battery.
To take the experiment one step farther you can measure the current produced by the battery by using a multimeter. If you have a multimeter there are many different experiments that you can do.
You can try different fruits and see if there is any difference in the current produced. You can also see if the current changes as you change the distance between the nails.
Finally, you could measure the pH levels of the juices of different fruits and see if there is a correlation between the brightness of the light bulb and the level of acidity that the fruit's juices contain.
Another simple and fun science experiment is to test how static electricity affects the path of water in motion. This test is very easy and can teach you a lot about different scientific processes.
All you will need is a hair comb or an inflated latex balloon and a source of running water. After you have gathered these supplies you then rub the balloon in your hair or comb your hair with the comb.
Then turn on the water so that a narrow stream of water is flowing smoothly out of your water source. Once you have the water running consistent you then bring the balloon or the teeth of the comb closer to the water.
Do not let the balloon or the comb touch the stream of water. You will notice that as you approach the water, the stream will begin to bend toward your comb.
After you have completed that you can then begin to experiment with the different forces you have discovered. For example, does the amount of bend depend on how close the comb is to the water?
Adjust the flow of the water and see if this has any affect on how much the water bends. You can also use other people's hair to create the static electricity and see if the static electricity from someone else's hair changes the experiment at all.
The scientific world is endless in its capabilities and opportunities. There are thousands of different kinds of science to look into as you are deciding what you want to study.
You will also want to get basic lab supplies that are dependable and will last you a while. Finding the right lab supplies will help you succeed in your scientific endeavors.
Jack R. Landry has worked since 1987 selling laboratory products and supplies to various labs and schools across the country. He recommends (
http://www.Avogadro-Lab-Supply.com) for lab supplies.
