Welcome to the Wonder Zone!
Wonder how? Wonder why? Wonder Zone is your weekly peek into the minds of Cincinnati Museum Center Program Specialists. Why are Peacock feathers so shiny? How do magnets work? Every week, James, Brian, Megan or another CMC specialist will guide you through a new experiment answering questions like these. See how to perform fun science experiments at home and, more importantly, learn why and how the experiment even works in the first place.
Wonder Zone videos go live every week. Have questions? Want to suggest your own Wonder Zone topic? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #CMCWonderZone
Wonder Zone Video of the Week
Friction and energy affect everything, including your toys! Check out some fundamental physics using a classic popper toy.
Flat, smooth surface, like a table
Rough surface, like a towel or a carpet
Popper toy (or a halved racquet ball)
- Have one person hold up the meter stick and another one pop the popper on the smooth surface. Keep an eye up to see how high it goes
- Mark its maximum height using the tape
- Now repeat step one, but this time on a rough surface, like a towel
- Mark the popper’s maximum height using the tape
Go further: find some new surfaces to test the popper on. Try a wet surface or a very rough surface, like gravel. Make a prediction — when will the popper go the highest?