Shows at the Exploratory

Mike Coles

I’ll start the ball rolling with an outline of what we do at the Exploratory and a few old faithfuls from our demonstration programme.

All of these shows started off about 45 minutes in length but have been pruned down to about half an hour.

Flash/Bang/Wallop

Combustion as an example of a chemical reaction. The emphasis and words depend on the audience.  Experiments include; burning methane bubbles, exploding can, methanol cannon, propane and propane/oxygen bubbles, hydrogen bubbles and balloons and the hydrogen/air rocket.

Bubble Magic

This was put together for a young audience but can be extended for older groups.  Experiments include; giant bubbles, “light” bubbles, “heavy” bubbles, foggy bubbles that sink then rise, burning bubbles and exploding bubbles.

Mystery of Gases

A look at some of the gases in air; water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen.  Demonstrations involve lots of fog, solid carbon dioxide, liquid air, liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen.  Experiments include the distillation of liquid air and combustion reactions using liquid oxygen.  

States of Matter

Carefully developed from the National Curriculum in Science at KS2 and KS3!  We use models of the gaseous, liquid and solid states to explain the volume changes when air filled balloons freeze and film canisters pop.  The heat changes associated with change of state are investigated using “heat-packs” and bromine in a sealed tube shows what happens when particles link together in the different states.

Strange Materials

Odd solids, gases and especially liquids.  How you can walk on wet sand, paint with non-drip paint and get a liquid to self-siphon.

Unexpected Science

A collection of good old counter intuitive experiments.

Microwave Cooking*

What really happens in the microwave oven.  Why you cannot use metal containers, why you need a rotating base-plate and why it takes so long to defrost frozen foods.  Have you ever tried making toast in a microwave oven?  Are there any hazards involved in microwave cooking?

Poisoning for beginners*

Kitchen chemistry.  Are aluminium saucepans bad for you?  How to make your red cabbage really red.  What about making your own fizzy indigestion tablets?

Physics of Ice Cream*

Make some superb ice cream and develop some ideas about latent heat changes, freezing point and what is actually in ice cream.

* these were developed by Jock Playle and Tony Bagshaw at the Exploratory and Peter Barham at Bristol University.

Newsletter Spring 1998 Contents

Centres > Satrosphere News | What is happening to Light on Science? | Inspire News | Herstmonceux News

Exhibits > BIG working group on exhibit development | What is Design? | Exhibit Aphorisms | "Here's Looking at Euclid" - exhibit idea | Roald Dahl and the Children's Gallery | Are hybrids best? - viewpoint

Demonstrations and shows > Shows at the Exploratory | Exploding Can Demonstration | Water to wine Demonstration | Nitrogen story - urban myth?

Millennium News > More Millennium Grants | Pantechniques rewarded | Millennium awards scheme | A listing of interactive projects funded by lottery grants

Research > Measuring the performance of interactive centres

Resources and conferences > Conferences and Future Events | Indian Science Congress Report | Managing Science Centres Book Review | Children's Museums Book information

BIG > BIG Moves - From the Chair | BIG AGM Report | BIG Annual Report 1997