As Bill Cook and his volunteers made multiple loops from a single strip of paper and changed liquids from clear to magenta during an assembly at Monroe Elementary School in Hinsdale, he asked students whether he was using science or a supernatural force.
“Who thinks it was magic? Who thinks it’s science?” Cook asked the audience.
The children knew the answer: It was science.
Although Cook is a professional magician, he relied on scientific principles, such as the Mobius strip, to demonstrate his tricks during his Wacky Science show Feb. 7 for Monroe students.
The demonstration of Mobius strip, in particular, had students twisting a strip of paper many times before attaching the two ends and cutting it in half to determine whether they would produce two small separate loops, one big loop or two small loops linked together.
Cook also taught the children about acids and bases in chemistry by combining vinegar and baking soda. The gas that resulted inflated a balloon that covered the mouth of the container and impressed the children.
The school’s Parent Teacher Organization likes to sponsor a special science assembly in advance of the school’s science fair in March, said Vanessa Horton, a PTO member. The parents saw videos of Cook’s show, and they thought the show would be fun for students, Horton said.
Cook’s message to the children was, “Science is all around you.”