Science Question: How Smart is Your Brain?
Our brains are super smart – they can figure out information faster than computers can! In this experiment, you’ll make a thaumatrope (a special toy) and see how your brain solves a “problem”.
Supplies needed:
• Cup
• Pencil
• Paper
• Scissors
• Markers or crayons (optional)
• Tape or glue
• A straw
The Experiment:
Use a cup to trace equal size circles onto your paper and cut them out. On your circles, draw two pictures that share an element. For example, you could draw a goldfish on one side and a bowl on the other. Make a sandwich of the two pictures and tape or glue the straw between them.
Hold the bottom of the straw and rub your hands to twirl the straw. What happens to the image?
The outcome:
When you twirled the straw, the two pictures blended into one!
Why it worked:
The pictures blended because of the persistence of vision. Your eye keeps a copy of the image or a memory of the image for 1/20th of a second after the object is gone. As your toy spins, your brain interprets the series of quickly flashing images as one continuous image.
Variation:
Make a flip book. Use a small notebook and make a small image in the corners. In each image adapt it slightly from the previous image. We suggest using a dot, and each time move the dot. When you flip through the pages, the principle of vision persistence makes it look like the dot is bouncing on your page.
Did you know?
Your brain is 70% water!
Source: The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments by Rachel Miller, Holly Homer & Jamie Harrington.