Physics, Fun and Beyond: Electrifying Projects and Inventions from Recycled and Low-Cost Materials

The World of Atoms and Our World: Cold, Heat, and Giant Bubbles

1 Jiggling Atoms

Get an idea of how atoms behave in gases, for example, in the air that we breathe.

Supplies

• approx. 50 little Styrofoam balls about 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter

• laundry or wastebasket with holes in the sides (no more than 1/2 in to 3/4 in (1.5–2 cm) wide holes

• cardboard

• hair dryer

• string

Step By Step

Cut a circle out of cardboard, slightly smaller—about 3/4 in (2 cm)—than the basket, for a lid. Make a string handle and push it through two holes in the cardboard. Place all the Styrofoam balls inside the basket and close the lid. Holding up the basket on ...