Note: Do the pendulum experiment first, and when you’re done with the heavy nut from that activity, just use it in this experiment.
You can easily create one of these mystery toys out of an old baking powder can, a heavy rock, two paper clips, and a rubber band (at least 3″ x 1/4″). It will keep small kids and cats busy for hours.
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It is difficult to use a rock. You need to find a long, skinny rock that you can tie the rubber-band around. Its really best to use a large nut.
How do you use the rock?
No, paperclips work best for this experiment.
i don’t have paper clips.can i substitute?
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Aurora there is no videos why is that?
1/4 inch or larger should work.
how big is the hexnut?
Right, the hex nut may not be big enough, or the rubber band may not be tight enough.
Why might it no roll back? Is it because the hexnut might not be big enough?
It’s the name of this particular experiment! Can you figure out how it works?
Hey Aurora What’s the mystery toy
Great! Thank you Mrs. Aurora!:)
That’s the mystery! See if you can figure out what’s going on inside the can. I also tell you about it in the video near the end.
You can use a toilet paper tube if you can attach ends to it (cardboard circles with glue?)
What type of can should you use All we have I think are jars.
How does the nut make the can come back to your hand? :l
thankyou so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you Aurora
It depends on the experiment. For this experiment, try cotton string but you’ll need to pull it really right to utilize the elasticity of the string.
My mom is severely allergic to rubber latex. Many of the experiments involve a rubber band. What do you recommend using instead of latex materials?
wow! wow! so cool!!!!
too cool, sevy keble, i heart that thing she did!!! and, you are right, it is as cool as Plasma Grape, you mister!!!!!!!
i love it! LOL
that is so cool! i think you can make lot of them.
I am not sure… what did or didn’t it do? It’s hard to tell when I can’t see your experiment setup. Does the weight stay still and the rubber band twist around it like it should?
What happened? I tried it several times, and it didn’t work. Any tips? I need this for a presentation at school.
awesome!
Try a rock, like I mentioned in the video! 🙂
Does anything besides a hexnut work??????????
Thank You Arora
Try it and see what happens!
can you put coated rubber bands in it?
Yay!!!! =)
No – you can go in any order!
Do I have to do pendulum experiment first?
What if you put a piece of cat food or treat inside so it can detect it?
LOL~when we gave the toy to the cat it had no interest… maybe it needs to be scented.
That’s too bad! Our group here couldn’t leave it alone! 🙂
when we gave the toy to the cat it had no interest
🙂 great!!!!
Like this: 🙂 : )
How do you get the pixelated smiley faces?
Amazing
This is rachel schause’s son. I used a gatorade can with hex nut it works!!! Can’t wait to show it to are friends
This looks so cool!!!!!!!®]®«©¥™>®\®*®<®<®\®\®% ¥¥¥«»:)
awsome
cool i made it the 1st ones ruberband broak the second one wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice one!
You don’t have to have paperclips – watch the whole video to see how you’d modify this project. 🙂
awwwww man i dont got paper clips arora is there a subsatute?
Thanks for the suggestion – I’ll pass it along to my design team!
Auora, for mobile compatibility, you can use private YouTube videos, instead of the current format.
You are absolutely right! We are currently working on this – we will let you know when it’s up and ready. Since there are over 1,000 videos, it’s taking a little while to get everything converted. Stay tuned!
These videos should be compatible with mobile devices. Can’t watch on iPad.
Wow! I had so much fun making this (even though it took me a whole day.) I love showing it to my friends as a magic trick where I can give it a push, and then pull it back to me using an invisible string 😉
– Isabel
Awesome experiment! I didn’t have the baking powder can, so I used an empty cat food can and, after I had done all the other stuff with the hole-punching and the rubber band inside, I hot-glued a lid to the open side. I used some washers for the weight. It still works just right!
-Mary Crawford (age 12)
To get items through a hole (rubber band in this case, string/rope in pulley experiments), I’ve found that a crochet hook works great. It has a small hook on the end so you can catch the rubber band, etc. and pull it through. If you have a set of hooks, just pick the appropriate size. For even older teachers, perhaps a button hook might work 😉
Elizabeth’s daughter Elinor is here: I think it is really cool.
We did the baking powder can, but the screw we used isn’t very large. We added two rubber bands, b ut a heavier nut would make the difference. Because I was using what we had, I rolled a plain can across the table first to demonstrate what happens; then we made the toy, so even with the small result we got it made a difference.
I didn’t tell them why it worked; I asked them to try to figure it out. I also asked them to interview their family members and see what they said. Should be interesting!
I used a rock from my backyard and I cut two rubber bands and I put glue to keep it there and it was hard to put the paper clip through the hole :/ I am still making it…
My kids enjoyed this experiment, however we may need to put a larger Hex Nut in the can since it keeps rolling if you push too hard. We are having a Blast!
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii like it
Yes – it’s a much larger mass to move. Try rocks? In a baggie perhaps?
Will this work with a large oatmeal container. If so, do I need to increase the size of the hex nut?
Wow – cool! Sounds like you figured something worthwhile out!! 🙂 Good job persisting until you got the result you were after. That’s a key quality in a scientist.
We tried and tried and tried to get this to work. We changed the number of rubberbands, we tried making it without the knot, and finally tried a very large and heavy hexnut. NOW it works! Before it would just roll in one direction and not come back (it was a lobsided roll…it would roll, hesitate, roll, hesitate). Weight seems to make the difference. It will stop on its own and then roll backwards.
Thanks, Aurora!
If you roll it and do not stop it with your hand after it comes back to you, will it keep on rolling and coming back, rolling and coming back on and on? Thank you! I am DeFiNaTeLy making this!
Wow! Just as good as “Plasma Grape” and “Microwaving Soap.”! If you roll it to hard and it goes to far……it won’t come back to you. I know why it comes back! The rubber band gets wound up inside and then comes back. (I hope that’s a simple and quick explanation:)) Aurora, what do you think?
sevy keble