50 science-based tricks

Here’s a list of 50 science-based tricks, spanning physics, chemistry, biology, and psychology, designed to be practical, fun, or insightful. These are grounded in scientific principles and can be applied in everyday scenarios, experiments, or just to impress your friends

Floating Paperclip (Physics): Place a paperclip on water’s surface tension by gently laying it flat using a fork. Demonstrates surface tension.

Microwave Grapes (Physics): Cut a grape in half, leaving a thin skin connection, and microwave it briefly to create plasma sparks. Shows electromagnetic field effects.

Baking Soda Volcano (Chemistry): Mix baking soda and vinegar in a bottle for a fizzy eruption. Illustrates acid-base reactions.

Invisible Ink (Chemistry): Write with lemon juice, then heat the paper gently to reveal the message. Oxidation makes it visible.

Egg in a Bottle (Physics): Light a match inside a bottle, then place a peeled hard-boiled egg at the opening. The vacuum sucks it in. Shows air pressure.

Rubber Egg (Chemistry): Soak a raw egg in vinegar for days to dissolve the shell, leaving a bouncy membrane. Demonstrates chemical dissolution.

Static Electricity Balloon (Physics): Rub a balloon on your hair and stick it to a wall. Shows static charge attraction.

Color-Changing Cabbage (Chemistry): Boil red cabbage and use the juice as a pH indicator—it turns pink in acid, green in base.

Homemade Slime (Chemistry): Mix glue, borax, and water for stretchy slime. Illustrates polymer cross-linking.

Water Refraction (Physics): Place a straw in a glass of water; it looks bent due to light refraction at the water-air boundary.

Candle Seesaw (Physics): Balance a candle on a pivot, light both ends, and watch it oscillate. Shows center of mass dynamics.

Mentos and Soda Geyser (Chemistry): Drop Mentos into diet soda for a fountain. Rapid CO2 release causes the eruption.

Screaming Balloon (Physics): Put a hex nut in a balloon, inflate it, and swirl. The nut vibrates, creating a screaming sound.

Fireproof Balloon (Physics): Fill a balloon with water and hold it over a flame. Water absorbs heat, preventing popping.

Magic Milk (Chemistry): Drop food coloring in milk, then add dish soap. Soap breaks surface tension, creating swirls.

Walking on Eggs (Physics): Walk on raw eggs (carefully!) to show how their shape distributes force evenly.

DIY Compass (Physics): Magnetize a needle by rubbing it with a magnet, then float it on water. It aligns with Earth’s magnetic field.

Cloud in a Bottle (Physics): Add a bit of alcohol to a plastic bottle, pressurize it, then release. A cloud forms due to condensation.

Oobleck (Physics): Mix cornstarch and water for a non-Newtonian fluid that’s solid when struck but liquid when still.

Egg Drop Challenge (Physics): Build a structure to protect an egg from a fall. Teaches force distribution and engineering.

Hot Ice (Chemistry): Make sodium acetate from vinegar and baking soda, then cool it. Touching it triggers instant crystallization.

Balloon Skewers (Physics): Pierce an inflated balloon near the top or bottom (low-tension areas) without popping it.

Density Tower (Physics): Layer liquids like honey, water, and oil in a glass. They stack based on density differences.

Blow Out a Candle with Air (Physics): Use a funnel to blow air and extinguish a candle from a distance. Shows airflow dynamics.

Singing Wine Glass (Physics): Rub a wet finger around a glass rim to create sound via friction and resonance.

Homemade Battery (Chemistry): Stack copper coins, zinc washers, and vinegar-soaked paper to power an LED. Shows electrochemical reactions.

Waterproof Sand (Chemistry): Coat sand with Scotchgard to make it hydrophobic. It stays dry underwater.

Spinning Penny (Physics): Spin a penny on its edge; it wobbles due to angular momentum and gyroscopic effects.

Pepper and Soap Trick (Physics): Sprinkle pepper on water, then touch it with soap. Pepper scatters due to reduced surface tension.

Floating Ping Pong Ball (Physics): Use a hairdryer to float a ping pong ball in the airstream. Demonstrates Bernoulli’s principle.

Mirage Effect (Physics): Shine a laser through a sugar-water gradient to bend light, mimicking a mirage.

Homemade Lava Lamp (Chemistry): Mix oil, water, food coloring, and an Alka-Seltzer tablet in a bottle for bubbling effects.

Crush a Can with Air (Physics): Heat water in a can, then invert it into cold water. Atmospheric pressure crushes it as steam condenses.

Colorful Flame Test (Chemistry): Burn salts (like borax or copper sulfate) in a flame to see vibrant colors from electron transitions.

DIY Electromagnet (Physics): Wrap copper wire around a nail, connect to a battery, and pick up paperclips. Shows magnetic fields.

Bouncing Bubbles (Physics): Mix glycerin, dish soap, and water for bubbles that bounce on gloves without popping.

Freezing Boiling Water (Physics): Throw boiling water into freezing air (below -20°C) to create instant snow due to rapid evaporation.

Glowing Tonic Water (Physics): Shine a UV light on tonic water; quinine fluoresces blue.

Straw Oboe (Physics): Flatten one end of a straw, cut a V-shape, and blow. Vibrations create sound.

Cartesian Diver (Physics): Put a partially filled eyedropper in a sealed water bottle. Squeeze to make it sink; release to float. Shows buoyancy.

Homemade Thermometer (Physics): Seal colored water and alcohol in a straw with clay. Heat expands the liquid, showing temperature rise.

Disappearing Water (Chemistry): Pour water into a cup with sodium polyacrylate (from diapers). It absorbs the water, seeming to vanish.

Balloon Rocket (Physics): Tape a straw to a balloon, thread it on a string, and release. Newton’s third law propels it.

Magnetic Slime (Chemistry): Add iron oxide powder to slime for a magnetic version that moves with a magnet.

Mirrored Reflection Trick (Physics): Place two mirrors at 90° to see your true reflection, not reversed.

Sound Wave Fire (Physics): Build a Rubens’ tube (perforated pipe with gas) to visualize sound waves as flames dance.

DIY Hologram (Physics): Cut a plastic pyramid and project a phone video through it for a 3D hologram effect.

Memory Wire Trick (Physics): Bend nitinol wire, then heat it; it returns to its original shape due to shape memory.

Rainbow in a Glass (Physics): Shine light through a glass of water with a mirror to project a rainbow via dispersion.

Breath-Holding Trick (Biology): Hyperventilate briefly before holding your breath to delay the urge to breathe by reducing CO2.