4 Interesting Physics Experiments without Fancy Equipment

Reading Time: 3 minutes

First published: 15 July 2021 @ 6:00 pm

I’m often asked if I have any cool science experiments that can be done without fancy equipment. The answer is yes, but it takes a bit of creativity and time.

Experiment #1: Accelerating your hand with the help of magnets

The purpose of this experiment is to see how strong a magnet can make your hand feel. You will use a neodymium magnet (also known as a “rare earth” magnet) to accelerate your hand.

How to do it:

The apparatus is simple. All you need is a metal bar, a neodymium magnet, and a hand. Place the magnet in the center of the bar and then put your hand on top of it.

Then try to move your hand back and forth without touching the magnet. You will feel an interesting force on your hand when you accelerate it with the help of the magnet.

Experiment #2: Accelerating your hand with water

This experiment is similar to Experiment #1 but uses water instead of a neodymium magnet. You will use a 1L bottle filled with water to accelerate your hand against gravity. The higher the acceleration, the stronger the force feels on your hand.

How to do it:

First, you need to cut a piece of paper towel so that it fits inside the bottle. Make sure that the paper towel is as wide as the bottle so that it doesn’t fall in.

The reason why you want a wide paper towel is because water has a high surface tension. When water is pressed against a flat surface, it tries to keep its shape by sticking together like a ball.

This means that the water wants to keep its original shape and size even when you apply pressure on it.

Second, put some tape on top of the paper towel so that it can hold your hand without falling in. Third, fill up the bottle with water and then place your hand on top of the bottle.

Fourth, slowly move your hand back and forth without touching the bottom of the bottle. You will feel an interesting force on your hand when you accelerate it with water (just like Experiment #1).

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