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MODULE 1
OPTICAL ILLUSIONS
Did I Really See That? .................................. Students create "moving" images out of still pictures.
Color Confusion .................................. By changing the conditions under which the class views the same piece of colored paper, students report seeing different colors.
Do You Know Me? .................................. Our ability to recognize faces is challenged when those faces are upside down. Other manipulations of pictures show how our brains tend to "fix" images that aren't quite right.
Who's Happier? ..................................This is a study in size constancy. Two curved paper smiles of the same size, placed one above the other, appear to be different sizes. Changing the position of the smiles relative to one another apparently changes the smaller smile into the larger one.
MODULE 2
NATURAL ILLUSIONS
And It's...OUTTA HERE! .................................. An index card "disappears" when the magician tosses it into the air.
Charmed to Meet You .................................. Using invisible thread and a toy snake, students can become "snake charmers" while studying camouflage.
Just Dropping In .................................. Due to changes in the state of matter, a quarter magically passes "through" a metal plate.
Water Bombs .................................. The properties of surface tension and hydrostatic force are explored in this experiment. A cork can be made to float in the center of the surface of a glass of water, but only when the glass is over-filled.
That's the Way the Money Goes .................................. Refraction of light waves is responsible when an ordinary glass of water makes a quarter disappear!
MODULE 3
MANIPULATION OF SPACE / TIME
It's Mind-Bending ..................................The laws of refraction of light govern what we see when a pencil is placed into a glass of water. Students will make an arrow change direction using the same principle.
Image is Everything .................................. Mirrors can create some very realistic visions, including a teacher floating on thin air!
Time's Up! .................................. How accurately do we perceive the passage of time under different circumstances?
I Can't Air You! .................................. Students discover the power of air pressure by lifting objects with nothing more than plastic sandwich bags and straws.
Can We Race? .................................. By harnessing static electricity, students race empty soda cans across a track.
More or Less .................................. Important life lessons from the supermarket. Clever packaging "tricks" make it look like we're getting more for less.
MODULE 4
SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES
Tight Squeeze .................................. How can an egg possibly fit through the too-small neck of a jar? Changes in atmospheric pressure do the trick.
It's Plane to See .................................. Students may already realize that Bernoulli's Principle is in play when airplanes lift off. In this experiment they have some fun of their own with air pressure and lift.
What Is It? .................................. Students will change a liquid to a solid using a disposable diaper, put a needle through a balloon without popping it, and discover other ways to test the special properties of a polymer.
Spinning Coins .................................. It may seem like magic, but it's really centrifugal force. A coin will balance on its side while spinning around the inside of a bowl.
Ready...Set .................................. Using Jell-O™ students discover the magic behind the "disappearing water" illusion, caused by changes in states of matter.
MODULE 5
MISDIRECTION
Don't Stroop to That Level .................................. The Stroop Effect experiment is a great illustration that you can't do two things at once, and do them both well. Students are asked to separate two stimuli: printed words and colors.
What's That Smell? .................................. You can fool the senses by trying to do too many things at once. Students are asked to taste familiar foods while blindfolded, but are simultaneously offered the scent of another food. Great fun!
Just Call Me Sweetheart .................................. Strong associations are used to misdirect students who are trying to remember a list of words.
Give Me a Squeeze .................................. To demonstrate how distractions affect reaction time, students are timed performing the same maneuver with no distractions, and then with a variety of stimuli.
Do You Know Where Your Hands Are? .................................. A series of exercises designed to show that sighted people use visual clues to accomplish most tasks. Students discover how difficult it is to sense the position of the hands and fingers in space without the benefit of vision.
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