Everything Kids' Magical Science Experiments Book by Tim Robinson Read Free Book Online Page A

pale reddish color.
Place 5–7 drops of ammonia in the second glass.
Place 10–15 drops of vinegar in the third glass.
Carefully pour the grape juice from the first glass into the second and gently swirl until it is completely mixed. Make a note of the color of the new liquid mixture.
Finally, pour the liquid from the second glass into the third and swirl until it is completely mixed. Make a note of the color of the new liquid.
Questions for the Scientist
Describe the colors of your liquids in each stage of the experiment.
Based on the description given at the beginning of the experiment, do you think that ammonia is an acid or a base?
Based on the descriptions given at the beginning of the experiment, do you think that vinegar is an acid or a base?
What do you think would have happened if you had mixed the liquids in a different order? Try it and see what happens.
    Did You Know?

    Baking soda, a leavening agent, helps cookies rise as they bake, and can also be used to clean up after the cookies are done baking.
Conclusion
    When indicators, such as diluted grape juice, mix with acids, they tend to turn a reddish color, but when they mix with bases, they tend to turn blue or green. Mixing the liquids in the order you did allowed the grape juice to change first to a greenish color, and then back to a reddish color. Some fruits, such as lemons and oranges, contain an acid called citric acid, while other acids, such as vinegar, are commonly used in cooking. Bases such as ammonia are often used as cleaners and should be avoided by children. However, other bases, such as baking soda, are used to make cakes and cookies or to keep refrigerators smelling fresh. Remember that if you aren't sure what something is, you should never put it in your mouth to test it. Ask an adult what it is, or to help you set up a test with an acid-base indicator.

5
The Incredible Machine

    M ost people are aware of the amazing things the human body can do. Feats of strength, the ability for a cut or broken bone to heal itself, and the magic that turns energy in the food you eat into the energy you need to run, jump, and live. What you might not be as aware of, however, is that your body has some pretty interesting scientific abilities. These skills allow you to use your five senses to interact with the world around you in exciting and sometimes unexpected ways.
    In this chapter, you will explore the human body and some of the ways it is different from the body of any other animal on the planet. You will turn your fingers into sausages, discover your magical voice, and put math and music together to produce magical sounds.
    Did You Know?

    The human mouth has around 10,000 taste buds, but they are not all on the tongue. Some are under the tongue, some are on the cheeks, and some on the lips.
Try This: Acquiring a Taste
    Question: Can you fool your taste buds?
Materials
Blindfold
Peanut butter, vanilla extract, or cinnamon
A variety of foods, cut up into small pieces. Some possibilities are:— Apple— Carrot— Potato— Meat, such as ham, turkey, chicken, beef, or steak— Onion— Pear
Procedure
Cut up the foods you wish to test into small, bite-sized pieces.
Arrange the foods on a plate.
Rub either the peanut butter, vanilla, or cinnamon on your upper lip.
Cover your eyes with the blindfold.
Place each of the food items in your mouth, one at a time, and try to determine which food it is.
If you have some friends handy, recruit one or more of them to try their hand at identifying the foods with one of the dis-tractor foods on their upper lip.
The Science Behind the Magic

    When you eat food, the taste buds on your tongue detect certain types of flavors. There The Incredible Machine are regions of your tongue that sense sweet tastes, such as sugary foods; sour tastes, such as lemon juice; salty tastes, such as potato chips; and bitter tastes, such as ground coffee. But there is more to tasting food than simply relying on your