Kerplunk

Title : Chemistry for Every Kid : 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work Janice VanCleave Science for Every Kid Series

Author : VanCleave, Janice Pratt.

Publisher : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (US)

Language : English

Publication date : 1989

Today, i came across such a fun and interesting book on Amazon, then download it from other source .

I decide to post one experiment per day and add some ideas of my own, preparing for my "kid chemists" dream.

Kerplunk!

Purpose

To demonstrate inertia, a property of matter.

Matter can be defined as anything that takes up space and has inertia.

Inertia is a resistance to a change in motion or rest.

Materials

index card
nickel
drinking glass

Procedure

▪ Lay the index card over the mouth of the glass.

▪ Place the coin on top of the card. Its position is to be centered over the mouth of the glass.

▪ Snap the card with your finger.

Results

The card quickly moves forward and the coin drops into the glass.

Why?

The stationary card and coin are said to be at rest. They remain motionless because of their inertia. Inertia is the tendency of a material not to change its motion or state of rest. When the card is snapped, it slips under the stationary coin. Gravity pulls the coin down into the glass.

My ideas:

1 use round beam instead of the nickel. (kids might think the stillness has something to do with the shape )

2 use sandpaper instead of the index card (different result caused by different friction force of the surface)

3 daily phenomenon about inertia (What happened if the bus suddenly brakes? We move out totally or partially? why?)
Finally, it's really a physical experiment :)