DIY Pinhole Viewer

Try this at Home - Eclipse Pinhole Viewer 

This DIY pinhole viewer can be used to observe the sun any time, but it will be especially useful for the solar eclipse on April 8th! For more information about how to experience the eclipse at the Science Center, visit www.osc.org/eclipse.


What is an annular solar eclipse? 

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on the planet. However, there are different types of solar eclipses. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon completely blocks the face of the Sun, causing a brief period of darkness during the day. A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon, Sun, and Earth are not perfectly aligned, causing only a part of the Sun to be covered and giving it a crescent shape. An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth, making it appear smaller than the Sun in our sky. This creates a ring effect around the Moon. The term "annular" refers to this ring effect.

What is going to happen?

The April solar eclipse will begin at 1:46 pm, peak at 3:03 pm, and end at 4:17 pm giving viewers an adequate amount of time to see this celestial event as it happens. ⚠️ IT IS NEVER SAFE TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN DURING A PARTIAL ECLIPSE WITHOUT SPECIALIZED EYE PROTECTION! This can cause severe retina damage. Our staff will be on hand to highlight how to correctly use solar eclipse glasses.


 

You can use this DIY pinhole viewer to safely experience the eclipse from anywhere!

Materials:

  • Cardboard box (like a cereal box, skinny delivery box, etc.) 
  • Aluminum foil 
  • Paper
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Pointy thing 

 

How to make your DIY pinhole viewer! 

  • Figure out where your pinhole will be! You want sunlight to shine through the hole and travel as long as possible inside the box before hitting the other side. 
  • Trace the bottom of the box on a piece of paper. Cut out the paper and tape it to the inside of the box. This is your projection screen! 
  • Carefully cut two holes in the top of the box. One will be your viewing window, and the other the pinhole.  
  • Cover one of the holes with tin foil and poke a tiny hole to make your pinhole. 
  • Now just head outside! Hold the box so you are looking down through the viewing window and position yourself so that the sun shines onto the projection screen. 

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party

Next Solar Eclipse: April 8, 2024 

Did you miss the annular solar eclipse in October? Don't worry - you have another chance to experience one of the universe's greatest cosmic coincidences! Join us on April 8, 2024 for an eclipse viewing party! 

Though Florida is not in the path of totality for this total eclipse, we will experience about a 60% eclipse here. While you can safely experience this phenomenon from anywhere (with proper eye protection, of course), the Science Center promises a celebration to remember!

Advance tickets and registrations are required for this event.

Orlando Science Center Members must reserve their tickets in advance.

What is going to happen?

The eclipse will begin at 1:46 pm, peak at 3:03 pm, and end at 4:17 pm giving viewers an adequate amount of time to see this celestial event as it happens. ⚠️ IT IS NEVER SAFE TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN DURING A PARTIAL ECLIPSE WITHOUT SPECIALIZED EYE PROTECTION! This can cause severe retina damage. Our staff will be on hand to highlight how to correctly use solar eclipse glasses.

What is a solar eclipse? 

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on the planet. However, there are different types of solar eclipses. The eclipse in October of 2023 was an annular solar eclipse, which happens when the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth, making it appear smaller than the Sun in our sky. This creates a ring effect around the Moon. The term "annular" refers to this ring effect. A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon, Sun, and Earth are not perfectly aligned, causing only a part of the Sun to be covered and giving it a crescent shape. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon completely blocks the face of the Sun. In the path of totality, a total solar eclipse creates a brief period of total darkness during the day. While the April 8th eclipse is a total solar eclipse, Florida is not in the path of totality and will only experience about a 60% partial eclipse.

Out-of-This-World Programming

This event will be held rain or shine. If the eclipse is not visible in our area due to cloud cover or weather conditions, don't worry! We'll be live-streaming the view from other locations within the Science Center. Plus, we'll have out-of-this-world programming to help you explore and celebrate the solar eclipse - no matter the weather! 

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you don't. A solar eclipse is visible across a wide area that sweeps across the globe. You'll be able to see this eclipse anywhere in Florida, and the best view will be along the path of totality.

The total solar eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8, 2024. The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous United States will be on August 23, 2044!

No. The direct path of the eclipse will travel from Texas to Maine. Viewers in Orlando will experience about a 60% eclipse, similar to what was visible during the October 2023 solar eclipse.

During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the sun's light and casting a shadow on Earth. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon and obscuring it.

While a solar eclipse can be enjoyed safely with the right tools, viewers risk serious eye damage if they don't use the proper protection. Never look directly at an eclipse without some sort of approved protection. However, eclipse glasses are not the only form of protection! You can easily make a pinhole viewer from the comfort of your home, which can also be used to view an eclipse safely. 

Eclipse glasses are not available for sale in the Science Store and will not be available for purchase on the day of the event.

Weather can be unpredictable, and there is always a chance that Central Florida experiences an overcast, rainy day during the eclipse. At the first sign of inclement weather, all Science Center staff will be called back into the building. If this happens, we will be streaming live from a location within the direct path of the annular eclipse on screens around the Science Center, including Dr. Dare's Lab, the 4Roots Cafe, and more. 

Except in the case of an event cancellation by Orlando Science Center, there are no refunds or exchanges allowed. This event will be held "rain or shine."

If you set up your phone on a tripod or other stand and point it at the Sun, you can record a video of the eclipse without looking directly at it. However, it is not safe to look at the Sun while filming. So yes, you can film the eclipse on a phone camera, but it does not serve as proper protection for your eyes during the actual event. 

Resources to Learn More

Solar Eclipse 101
National Geographic

A total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth once every year or two. What is an eclipse? Learn more about how solar eclipses happen, the four types of eclipses, and how to view the sun safely if you're within the path of totality.

5 Safe Ways to View the Eclipse

Watching an eclipse? Save your eyeballs -- rig up a sweet viewing set-up with some help from this video. Remember never look directly at the sun without certified sun glasses or a #14 Welder's mask. Instead look at the projected image of the sun on a screen with the help of a few simple household objects.

Why People Get So Excited About a Solar Eclipse

Total solar eclipses are a big deal not because of how infrequent they are — there’s a total solar eclipse every 18 months on average — but because of how little of the Earth’s surface falls in the path of any given eclipse shadow.

Solar System Exploration with NASA

Check out more information about the upcoming eclipse from our friends at NASA. With time tables and maps of the eclipse path, this is a great resource for visual learners!

Solar Eclipse Updates from Time & Date

Time and Date is the number one website on time and time zones! Learn more about the different eclipse experiences you can expect across the continent. 

Florida Prepaid Open Enrollment

Florida Prepaid College Open Enrollment Begins with Lowest Prices in 10 Years 

As our partner the Florida Prepaid College Plan Board celebrates 35 years of helping Florida families save affordably for college, they have lowered Prepaid Plan monthly prices by up to 25 percent during the Prepaid Plan Open Enrollment period from February 1 - April 30, 2024.  

The reductions will bring Prepaid Plan prices to their lowest level in 10 years, starting at just $34 per month for a 1-Year University Plan for a newborn.  The monthly cost of a four-year university plan for a newborn is down to $134 – that’s a monthly savings of about $50 compared to last year. 

Our Prepaid Plans are made to fit growing families: 

  • Risk-free: Your investment is protected by the State of Florida. 
  • Flexible: Use in-state or out, at public or private colleges and universities, trade, and technical schools.  
  • Worry-free: Cancel anytime for a full refund or transfer to another family member.  

To learn more and enroll today, visit https://bit.ly/48NvgcG

Opinion: STEM is the Key to Prosperity

JoAnn Newman and Rachel Kerestes

Florida is a STEM state. Our economy is driven by industries and occupations in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Now more than ever, policymakers must act to foster the state’s STEM economy by engaging young people and creating career opportunities for generations to come. 

In 2021 Florida was home to 4.1 million STEM professionals, an increase of 450,000 over five years. They represent 33% of the state’s workforce, generate $447 billion in economic activity and account for 36% of Florida’s gross domestic product. 

More than half (55%) of Florida’s STEM professionals do not hold a bachelor’s degree—earning their training through apprenticeships, community colleges, vocational training, the military and more.   

These People of Science include environmental engineers, electricians, information security analysts, sociologists, soil scientists, water quality technicians and accountants.   

STEM occupations offer lucrative and exciting paths in multiple disciplines. On average, STEM professionals earn more than non-STEM workers. According to the National Science Foundation STEM workers enjoyed median wage and salary earnings nearly $25,000 higher than non-STEM workers. Among STEM professionals with advanced degrees, median annual salaries of $100,000 or more are common.    

Despite the current demand for skilled STEM employees and the opportunities for dynamic and well-paid careers STEM provides, we are failing to educate, train and build the STEM workforce of the future in sufficient numbers. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. will need an additional one million STEM professionals by next year to maintain its leadership position in science and technology. 

Given the importance of STEM to Florida’s economy, our leaders cannot sit idle. More must be done to engage students earlier and bring science to life for them, make older students and new graduates aware of the many exciting career options in science and technology—many of which do not require a bachelor’s degree, while advanced degrees offer additional opportunities —and train (or retrain) current workers for a new path. 

In our increasingly complex society, the value of science has never been greater. Science literacy not only leads to a better understanding of the world’s problems, but it promotes the development of skills to help solve them. Through study and experimentation, we acquire knowledge, which leads to understanding, innovation and ultimately prosperity. Florida’s youth can save the world and science can help them do it. 

STEM education helps grow Florida’s technological workforce. Science museums, for example, serve as hubs for STEM learning, easily facilitating opportunities between industry, education and the public. Collaborations between science museums, corporations and education are key to developing a comprehensive approach to promote STEM learning from cradle to career.  

The Orlando Science Center established STEM Day at the Capitol a decade ago, held this year on January 25, to highlight how STEM education engages our students, prepares them for many amazing career paths and inspires our next generation of innovators.   

Let’s work together as parents, educators, business leaders and policymakers to establish a deep STEM talent pool and create an environment in which Florida’s leadership in aerospace, agriculture, environmental science and other STEM-intensive industries will be unmistakable. If we can do that, Floridians will prosper. 

# # # 

JoAnn Newman is an Orlando resident and President and CEO of the Orlando Science Center.
Rachel Kerestes is a Fernandina Beach resident and Executive Director of Science is US. 

STEM Day at the Capitol • Florida’s Science Centers & Museums Engage Legislators and Advocate for More Funding

Florida educators advocate for the importance of science education during STEM Day at the Capitol

Orlando Science Center is partnering with museums, science centers, educators, and corporations to assemble in Tallahassee for STEM Day at the Florida Capitol on Thursday, January 25, 2024. STEM Day provides a forum to connect with legislators about the critical role that Science Centers and museums play with inspiring and creating the STEM workforce of tomorrow while also advocating for funding to support these efforts. Participants will be stationed inside the Capitol building with experiments, displays, robots, and more!  

STEM Day Partners:

Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee 
FIRST Robotics 
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville 
Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale 
Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa 
Orlando Science Center 
River City Science Academy, Jacksonville 
Science is US 

From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., legislators will take part in hands-on activities while learning how STEM education helps grow Florida’s technological workforce.  Science museums act as a hub for STEM learning and can easily facilitate opportunities between industry, education, and the public. Collaborations between science museums, corporations, and education are key to developing a comprehensive approach to promote STEM learning from cradle to career.  

As we address the challenges of these complicated times, we are reminded that science matters now more than ever. Science literacy not only leads to a better understanding of life’s problems, but it promotes the development of skills to help solve them. Through study and experimentation, we acquire knowledge, which leads to understanding, innovation and ultimately prosperity. Our youth can save the world and science can help them do it.  

Industry must partner with educational institutions and informal learning centers like science museums to start preparing the future workforce for jobs that don’t even exist yet. Regardless of the field they enter, tomorrow’s workforce must have a strong grasp of 21st century skills like problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration. These skills are reinforced through active, challenge-based activities offered at museums and science centers.  

two mean practicing virtual reality flying during STEM Day at the capitol

STEM Day at the Capitol illustrates how collaborations with industry and academia can help fill the STEM pipeline, and Orlando Science Center is excited to take part in the event. Such partnerships provide opportunities to engage youth by bringing STEM subjects to life. By presenting the real-world applications of STEM skills in compelling ways, students are inspired to pursue further education and careers in STEM fields.  

During STEM Day, participating partners, including student groups, will share their passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with legislators, demonstrating the impact that their efforts can have on economic development across the state.  Displays reinforce how science museums light the spark of curiosity, promote future careers and build essential 21st century skills while also illustrating how increased funding could expand these efforts.  

STEM is the Key to Prosperity

“Florida is a STEM state. Our economy is driven by industries and occupations in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Now more than ever, policymakers must act to foster the state’s STEM economy by engaging young people and creating career opportunities for generations to come.”

At the Science Center, we believe that STEM is the key to prosperity. Our President & CEO JoAnn Newman recently co-wrote an editorial with Rachel Kerestes, Executive Director of Science is US, on the importance of fostering Florida’s STEM economy. Follow this link to read the full editorial.  

Science on Screen: Oppenheimer

The Oppenheimer Dilemma:
Navigating Science, Ethics, and Power in the Shadows of the Atom Bomb

Extended Thoughts from Dr. M.J. Soileau, Scientist in Residence

This summer, Christopher Nolan's film Oppenheimer took the country by storm. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do. Not only is Nolan a powerful storyteller, but the film is factual and compelling - and a good reminder to us all of the danger posed by the pulverization of nuclear weapons in arsenals around the world. Focusing on the evergreen issue of the moral qualms of scientists developing weapons of war, Oppenheimer poses a poignant question: do scientists have a moral obligation to engage in policy discussions beyond the technical details of weapons?

Morality! A topic too big for me to properly address in so few words. However, I shall do my best. 

Many of the key scientists on the Manhattan Project (and the related efforts in England) were European immigrants who had fled Fascist powers in Europe, e.g. Germany and Italy. These immigrants were vocal proponents of the compelling argument for the development of America's atom bomb (or A-bomb). 

Enrico Fermi was one such scientist. He received his Nobel Prize in 1938 – the same year he fled Fascist Italy for the United States to join the Uranium Project at the University of Chicago. He joined other émigrés on this project, including Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, and the team developed the first sustainable nuclear reaction. That effort was initially meant to look at atomic fission as a source of energy. Fermi tried and failed to interest the US military in this possible energy source. He and his colleagues were aware of the possibility of a uranium bomb, but they doubted that such a bomb could be built.  

Nazi Germany did not have such doubts. In 1938, German scientists split the atom. Then the German government embargoed uranium and moved the nuclear effort behind a wall of secrecy. These actions sounded the alarm with refugee physicists working with uranium. They correctly concluded that the Nazis were working on an A-bomb! Having experienced Nazi tyranny firsthand, they knew that Hitler would use such a weapon to ensure Nazi dominance of the world. 

Enrico Fermi completes a physics equation on a chalkboard.
Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard draft a letter to President Roosevelt.

Hungarian émigré physicists Leo Szilard and Eugene Winger regarded it a moral imperative to alert US officials of the possibility of a German A-bomb (though it wasn’t yet known by that name). They sought the help of the world’s most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, to write a letter to President Roosevelt urging quick and rigorous action towards creating a weapon that would stand up to a German A-bomb. Einstein, an avid pacifist, had met the President. In fact, he’d been an overnight guest in the White House.  

Together, Szilard, Wigner and Einstein drafted a letter that was hand-delivered to the President on October 11, 1939. This letter persuaded President Roosevelt to take decisive action towards creating the Manhattan Project. This was major policy advocacy by scientists, and it had a huge impact on the outcome of the war. Roosevelt set up a high-level committee (which included Ernest Lawrence and Vannevar Bush) to explore the feasibility of the bomb. Lawrence and Bush presented findings to the President on October 9, 1941 that an A-bomb could be built. Roosevelt gave the tentative go-ahead on January 19, 1942. 

General Groves, appointed to lead the effort in June 1942, hired J. Robert Oppenheimer to lead the bomb's development. Among Oppenheimer's first actions was to recruit an international team of "science celebrities" for the project. This included 36 Nobel Prize winners (some of whom received the prize after the war). 

Without question, Oppenheimer was the leader of the Manhattan Project, which developed the A-bombs that the United States would drop on Japan. Without question, this action was the ultimate defeat of the Axis powers, bringing an end to World War II (WWII). Without question, Oppenheimer had a deep understanding of the destructive power of A-bombs and the horrific consequences of a hydrogen bomb (or H-bomb) arms race. 

Nolan's film ends with the portrayal of Oppenheimer's struggle with his conscience. In my view, his struggle was not about guilt for having led the development of the A-bomb but for what might come next.

At the war's end, Oppenheimer was a superhero to the American people. He and many others who developed the weapon were particularly suited to give input regarding the developing arms race and the H-bomb superweapons, and he took a stance, definitively arguing against further development of superweapons. 

A portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Many citizens - including many scientists - believed that this kind of advocacy should not be the role of the scientist. Oppenheimer's policy opponents viewed him as such a threat that they found it necessary to destroy him personally to discredit his opposition to the development of the H-bomb and his advocacy for arms control.

Years after the end of WWII, declassified testimony indicated that the FBI had files listing Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, Enrico Fermi, and other scientists (particularly "foreign-born" scientists) as uncertain allies. But without such men, the Manhattan Project would not have succeeded. 

We must understand that there was a moral imperative among the Allies to defeat the Axis powers in WWII. All aspects of society were mobilized for this cause, including the scientific community. Nolan's film hinted at this but did not fully develop the concept of the massive mobilization of scientific and engineering talent and industrial resources for the effort.

I encourage everyone to see the film and study the historical context surrounding the decisions made to help contemplate the world's next steps in nuclear armament. I pose the question to you: Should scientists advocate for policy regarding the science they develop?

What happens to rain after a storm?

What happens to rain after a storm? 

Make a model that shows how water flows over different land shapes! 

A topographic map shows different land features, like mountains, ravines, and plains, using curved lines or colors to show altitude. It’s an easy way to show a 3D view of something on a flat surface. Topo maps are commonly used by hikers, surveyors, government workers, and engineers, among other people.  

Our model won’t be flat so it isn’t exactly like a topo map, but it will show the same type of information! 

Ready to make your own? Follow the written steps below! 


Materials you will need: 

  • Half sheet of paper 
  • Washable marker 
  • Dropper bottle (your adult can also make one by using a thumb tack to poke a whole in a water bottle cap) 
  • Tray or towel to catch any water spills 

 

Directions: 

Step 1: Crumple up a piece of paper and gently open it most of the way. It should still show ridges (high points) and valleys (low points.)

Step 2: Choose one of the ridges and color the whole ridgeline with a washable marker. Use lots of ink! (It’s easier if you use the flat side of the marker.)

 

Step 3: Place the paper on the towel or tray

Step 4: Use the dropper to pour water onto the peak, simulating a rainstorm.

Step 5: Repeat this experiment with more ridges on your crumpled paper.

The colored water is following the path of the watershed! 


 

The Science of Paper Mountains 

    • Watersheds are parts of land, like mountains, that drain rain water and snow melt into rivers and lakes. This water can carry particles from the land into big bodies of water. 
    • Marker ink moves with the water similarly to surface particles that are carried through a watershed. 
    • Surface waste like trash on streets, exposed soil from landslides or construction, or pollution from mines or farms, is picked up by rainwater and carried to the closest body of water. ​ 
    • What happens upstream always influences the water quality and processes downstream. 
    • Does your mountain have a dry side? A rain shadow is a dry area of a mountain that is caused by rain falling before the wind can carry it to the other side of the mountain. 

 

Expand on This Activity: 

Ask Your Scientist the Following Questions: 

  • Which direction is the water flowing? 
  • Does height make a difference? 
  • Which parts of the paper stayed dry? 

Keep Experimenting: 

  • If you have one at home, try putting a Monopoly house or similar small object on different parts of the mountain. See how its location affects the house during heavy rain. 
  • Test different heights for your mountain. When you keep the paper more crinkled you have higher peaks, does the water flow differently than if you flatten the paper more? 

 

Explore a topo map here: 

New Zealand Topographic Map - NZ Topo Map 

SCOPE Magazine for Science Center Members

Check out the latest issue of SCOPE Magazine!

With so much going on at Orlando Science Center, it's hard to keep track of everything included in your OSC Membership! That's why our team is dedicated to getting our Members the latest exhibit news and goings on at the Science Center.

Science Center Members receive SCOPE Magazine three times per year in the Spring, Summer, and Fall to give them the full scope of what's in store that season. Members also get a granular, up-close view of the month ahead through our monthly Member e-newsletter, MicroSCOPE, get it? 

For more frequent updates, join our OSC Member Community on Facebook! 


Spring 2024 Issue

Flip through the current e-magazine or download it below. 

The Science of AI Art

A picture is worth LESS than a thousand words, and we can prove it! 

Our brand-new OSC Flight Lab workshop, Painting with Pixels, will teach you how to get the most out of image generators that use Artificial Intelligence! 

The Science of AI Generated Art 

What is AI? 

According to IBM, AI, or Artificial Intelligence, “leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.” This definition provides a good understanding of the purpose of AI, but it doesn’t really provide a good perspective on just how ubiquitous AI has become in modern society. You likely use AI in one form or another every single day 

  • Nearly every aspect of your smartphones uses AI to give you the best possible user experience, from improvements to your photo quality and filters on your selfie camera, to autogenerated text-message responses.  
  • Navigation systems like Google Maps and Apple maps use AI to optimize routes based on real-time traffic data.  
  • Online shopping and video streaming platforms use AI to make recommendations based on your browsing and purchase history.  
  • Even your modern smart-home appliances use AI to learn user behavior and make automatic adjustments. 
  • And more! 

As it turns out, every AI that has ever existed falls into only one category, called Narrow AI (aka Weak AI). Narrow AI systems are designed to excel at one particular task or set of tasks. 

How does AI generate Art? 

The AI starts with an image that is just pure noise – literal random pixels of random colors. When a prompt gets submitted to the program, it is first sent through an encoder – essentially a translator to make sure the input you give the AI is in a format it can understand. Then, using this translated prompt, it does something called diffusion, a process in which the pixels of the random noise are manipulated to create recognizable shapes over time. 

There has never been an artist on Earth that has made good art without doing a lot of bad practice art first, and the same applies to AI. Every AI needs to go through training to be able to perform the task it’s built for! This concept is the basis of Machine Learning. We train AI that is designed to generate art by progressively feeding the AI noisier and noisier images of different types of objects with the goal of having the AI successfully denoise those images into something that is recognizable as the original image. The images that it successfully creates get fed back into the data it’s trained on, the images that it fails on get thrown out, and this process is repeated thousands of times until the AI is sufficiently trained. 

Diffusion Animated GIF

 

You can make AI art of your own at home! 

Things you’ll need: 

  • A computer or smartphone with internet access 
  • Adult supervision 

Directions: 

Step 1: Open an internet browser, navigate to the Bing Image Creator, and log in. 

Step 2:Next, think about the image you want to create and come up with a prompt using the Perfect Prompt Formula found below. 

Step 3:Type your prompt into the Bing Image Creator and submit.  

Step 4:Wait while the image generates and enjoy! 

The Perfect Prompt Formula: 

Coming up with a creative prompt for your image generator can be hard, but using the following four ideas in your prompt can help you take advantage of the AI’s capabilities and make better art! 

The best prompts on average have about 40 words and follow this structure: 

“A __[Perspective]__ view of a _ [Description of Subject]__ in the style of __ [Stylization]__, background is __ [Description of Background]__, feelings of __ [Emotion]__.” 

We always want our art to evoke some sort of emotion in the viewer. If you look at a piece of art and feel neutral, that is likely an ineffective piece of art. You can subtly inject colors, shapes, themes, and emotion into your art by putting the keywords "feelings of” in your prompt. Sticking to the standard emotions (i.e., sad, happy, angry) often leads makes the AI just giving everything faces, which may or may not be what you want, so feel free to get abstract with this. 

graphical user interface, application, website

Popsicle Catapult

Use a simple machine to turn potential energy into kinetic energy. 

A simple machine is a device that allows people to do more work with less energy. It specifically applies to making things move and works by using physics to its advantage. 

When an object is moving, it has kinetic energy. ​​For example, as a ball rolls down a hill, its kinetic energy increases. Potential energy is energy that results from your position. ​If you start from the bottom of the mountain and climb up, the potential energy at the bottom of the mountain will be zero, while it will be a lot at the top of the mountain. ​As you climb the mountain, you gain potential energy. 

A catapult combines these two concepts to launch heavy objects long distances. The catapult you’ll be making today is much smaller than a real one but works exactly the same way. 

Ready to make your own? Follow the written steps below! 


Materials you will need: 

  • Popsicle sticks 
  • Rubber bands 
  • A bottle cap 
  • Glue (hot glue works best) 
  • Pompom balls 

 

Directions: 

Step 1: Glue the bottle cap onto one end of one of the popsicle sticks, leaving a bit of space above the cap. Let the glue dry.

Step 2: Stack 5 popsicle sticks on top of each other. ​

Step 3: Put the popsicle stick with the bottle cap on it perpendicularly – i.e., so it makes a cross – between first and second stick and another one between last and second to last. Leave ¾ of the stick on the other side of the stack.​

 

Step 4: Tie rubber bands on both sides of the stack of sticks to hold it together.

Step 5: Tie the two perpendicular sticks together with a rubber band.

Step 6: Put the pompom ball into the bottle cap.​

Step 7: Push down on the part of the stick behind the bottle cap and releaseWatch the pompom ball fly!


 

The Science of Popsicle Stick Catapult 

  • When you push the stick with the ball down, you are putting potential energy into the ball. ​ 
  • When you release the stick, the potential energy in the ball turns into kinetic energy. ​ 
  • The ball doesn’t go forever because it eventually loses kinetic energy due to the force of gravity.