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

taste buds. Think back to the last time you had a severe cold. Chances are, your ability to taste food when your cold was at its worst was affected. You see, your nose also plays a role in tasting food. When you plug your nose, your brain is not able to process the tastes that come from your taste buds as well as when your nose is clear. So some foods with similar textures, such as apples and raw potatoes, will seem to taste the same when you plug your nose. But even with your nose unplugged, your ability to identify foods can be reduced by introducing strong alternate flavors, such as cinnamon or vanilla, around your mouth. These strong flavors drown out the flavors of the foods you are eating. Another key part of tasting foods is what you see with your eyes. For example, when you pick up a piece of chocolate and put it in your mouth you know what you expect as far as its taste. But if you cover your eyes so you can't see what you are eating, the expectation of what it will taste like is gone, and it becomes more difficult to tell what you are eating.
    Science Online

    Want to learn how animals taste and use their other senses? To learn lots of interesting animal sense facts, visit: www.indianchild.com/what_do_animals_see.htm.
Follow-Up
    Think about the types of foods that were easier to identify than others. What sort of characteristics do these foods have in common? Do you think certain people are better at tasting certain foods than others? If you are up for some research, look into the world of “supertasters.” These people tend to respond to certain flavors, bitter in particular, in intense ways, making it very difficult for them to enjoy foods with those flavors.
    Taste the Difference
    These scientists are eating lunch, but something is not right with the food! Use the words scattered around the page to fill in the blanks, and complete each scientist's complaint. The trick is to make the adjective and the food go together! (See the sample, right.)
Try This: Blue, Black, and Yellow Patriotism
    Question: Can you draw a U.S. flag with yellow, black, and green markers?
Materials
3″ × 5″ lined note card
Yellow, black, and green markers
Blank sheet of white computer paper
Procedure
Place the note card so that its longer side lies horizontally.
In the upper left corner of the note card, draw a rectangle that is 2 inches wide and about 1½ inches tall.
Draw a horizontal line through the middle of the white space at the top of the card to produce thirteen lines on the card.
Color 50 stars (or as many as you can fit) in the rectangular area you marked off with the black marker. Fill in the rest of the rectangle with yellow.
Alternating black and green, fill in each line on the rest of the card.
Stare at the drawing on the note card for at least 30 seconds.
Look immediately at the blank sheet of computer paper until you see an image of the flag appear.
    Science Quote

    â€œThe purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady
    Did You Know?

    The rainbow patterns you can see when oil (or gasoline) floats on water are caused by light reflecting through different thicknesses of the oil. This is known as “thin-film interference.” This also happens when you blow bubbles and look at them on a sunny day.
    Something Is Fishy
    This scientist has been experimenting with a piano and a fish. What did she discover? Use the note decoder to find out!
The Science Behind the Magic
    Your are able to see when your eyes respond to light rays that enter them. However, intense concentration on a certain color of light causes your eyes to tire. As a result, when you look away from that color, your eyes will see the opposite of that color in what is called an afterimage. In this activity, you tired your eyes out by staring at the green, black, and yellow colors. When you