I was staring resolutely into the middle distance, practicing my world-weary, erudite look, when a few feral thoughts scampered nimbly through the wastes of my wide-open mind: What exactly is an explosion? Shorn of all the fire, debris, shockwaves, and cool protagonists walking away without looking back, what is the essence of an explosion, the thread that binds all explosions together? Is there a singular definition that encompasses them all? Give yourselves a second to think about that. I'll wait........(Warning. Some gross images ahead)
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An ode to element number 8. Without it my job would be so much more difficult. Come to think of it, my entire life, and yours as well would be devoid of, well, pretty much everything, including life. Good thing it's the third most abundant element in this little universe we like to call home. So come along as I sing the praises of your friend and mine, the shining star of the chalcogen family
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reaction when Don conveniently pointed out we had done just that, a long time ago. So strap yourself into your way-back machine and let's take a trip down memory lane to the Big Bang of Explosions Inc.
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We got a new camera! An honest-to-goodness, shooting stuff, all the bells and whistles, type camera......And I'm completely terrified of it. Like a suspicious peasant who won't go near the creepy old castle without muttering and making cryptic signs to ward off the evil eye. But I put on my big boy pants, burned some sage to discourage the negative humors, sacrificed a fatted calf to any deities who may be around (okay, so it was a slim jim) and I made a brief video to check it out. And it worked! Kinda.
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Brace yourselves. Winter is……well, winter is here. As parts of the US are being savaged by the polar vortex, indoor activities take on a whole new appeal. To help pass the time, here’s a fun, hands-on activity to make your very own super ball. As usual, please do this activity under the supervision of a responsible adult or at least someone who satisfies the legal definition of adult and has the self-delusion to believe he/she is responsible.
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Today, Aaron gets physical!…And Chemical!…With Chemistry!
And for a limited time only a special play-along-at-home experiment for no extra charge! Satisfaction guaranteed or double your money back! Click now. Operators are standing by.
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We’ve received some questions about the structure and content of our shows and, rather than insist the questioner watch our video in a vain attempt to pad our YouTube viewership, I figured I would take this opportunity to discuss the thought that goes into deciding what blows up and when and, most importantly, why.
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Normally Don and I qualify all of our activities with “don’t try this at home”. So sometimes we like to share ideas for experiments that you CAN try at home. Prompted by the tempting display of Halloween candy at the local store we bring you a simple, fun, and family-friendly experiment that had Don literally foaming at the mouth.
Sometimes it seems that all acid/base experiments are as old as the hills and elicit about as much excitement as a box of rocks (taking for granted you aren’t a geologist). You mix together vinegar and baking soda and spend the next hour cleaning up. We would like to reinvigorate the acid/base reaction with an easy experiment that’s fun to do and, more importantly, fun to eat.
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