Amateur Science

First some background to my reasoning. I am interested in different methods of ionisation of gases. Typically gamma rays and X-rays including extra high frequency radio waves can be used as well as very high voltage DC. I recently read a very old physics book written by JJ Thompson, he pointed out at the instant switch contacts are opened a bunching effect of charges occurs due to inertia. This can create an extremely large momentary EM impulse, and explode wires or electronics if the current does not find an alternative path. A parallel pair of wires is the easiest way to envisage, my question, various other configurations could be used. Thinking of 2 long para…

so I was thinking about the best way to get a ground based fusion reactor when I realized that my plans could also possibly be used as a rocket engine what do you guys think is it worth trying to make it a rocket

here is a basic picture of a engine that I (sonicxfan83 on YouTube) am designing using minimal research and what I know of physics if I can get feedback that would be great.

can wood or coal be used as the solid in a Hybrid rocket if it cant does anyone have any uncommon ideas

Hello, I have a question on how range finders use their lasers. Does the recieving part of the range finder recieve a single beam of light somehow perfectly reflected from an object or does the laser refract in all directions (when it hits an object) at a certain frequency to be recieved at that frequency? Thanks

If I were to pressurize HHO gas into a 1 gallon container at 5000 PSI what was the approximate yield and energy be compared to TNT in pounds

I am going to be conducting an experiment in which I need to cool approximately 55 liters of air per minute to as close to -40C as possible. If I can't hit that target, as cold short of that as possible. The air needs to be breathable. If the solution is not pre-cooled or compressed air, I will be starting from an ambient temp of around 20C (standard room temp) Does anyone have any suggestions on a low budget way, or for that matter ANY way, to accomplish this? The solution needs to be portable enough to take to an office building to deploy with a quick set up time. This will be a 3 or 4 event experiment.

Hello everyone its me again i need help in desighning plans for the factory modoule that can be put on the moon in my earlier Orion project can I get some help on the design of said factory? Key Parts: Chemical Plant for the production of rocket fuel / chemicals needed in the production of rocket parts Metal smelter for the production of metal for metal parts 3D printer capable of printing parts in both metal and ceramic glass factory for the production of glass parts like windows If you can think of anything else please feel free to post

Hi!So my exams are coming up and i got a few questions about what makes a chemical reaction,a physical reaction and the differences between chemical and physical properties.Thanks in advance!

i do not know i that a stupid Question bu i could not find anything on that subject , is there any organizational for people who would like to become part of the world of science but had bad grades in high school . i would like to make something good with my life and i have interest in Physics , so i decided to start reading books and trying to solve simple equations but i realized that i need a teacher to test me and to teach me . i am from Bulgaria so i my country you have to be the best in class ( the sad part is the fact that you do not have to be smart ) so that you can enter University and even if you get in the education is expensive and is not worth the mone…

I got a job testing out model rockets and experimenting them to see how cool I can make them(No pay, but all the supplies I need. Legal ones of course and no extremely expensive ones.) It's for an event in September. It's a relatively small event, but it's the start of a year long group that gets together every week, and they want to be able to have the kids build their own rocket. Out of scratch. So I'm going to make Grant Tompsons Randomizer rocket(you tube) and then experiment from there to see if I can make it more efficient/larger/cooler. I know, cooler isn't a scientific term. But if I could make it burn with purple fire or something, then I'm sure the kids wou…

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site and am happy to have joined this as I love science--specifically--the study of electromagnetism and its role in our daily lives. In light of the debate as to whether radiation has health affects on humans or not, I came across some studies that were done by Dr,. Eleanor R. Adair. Not sure if anyone here is aware of her work, but she did experiments on animals as well as humans to test the effects that microwaves would have on them. It turns out that the only effects it has on human beings is mostly thermal, although it also affects human behavior in some ways at certain frequencies. In any case, this may seem like a silly quest…

I am a hobby innovator. for my next project I need a bulb that emits ultra violet light in the range of 80-90 nm. can anyone tell me where I may find science supplies this technical? all I find is 280-400 nm. any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is for a middle school project. The original idea was to have volunteers eat a piece of flavored candy, describe the flavor, and then eat another piece of the same flavored candy but while also smelling a different flavored scented oil - then describe the flavor to determine whether the taste is influenced by smell. Due to requiring volunteers, the project proposal needed to be submitted for approval for human experimentation - and it was submitted several days before topic ideas and hypotheses were due. So the teacher said that the project topic was not measurable and my daughter thought it was back to the drawing board - however, a few days later, the powers that …

I'm writing something on water and noticed ‪fibers in water cast odd shadows (by the Mandelbrot set it would appear, w/ some degree of angle)‬. I want to include a mathematical analysis about it & how it may be a key characteristic in biology (along with the ability to create multiple wave fronts, resist temp change if stretched), but can't find research projecting the phenomenon. Help?

Anyone have any science fair, investigations using scientific method or technilogical developments, improving a consumer product ideas?

I am doing a shielding experiment, where I wish to shield against frequencies of 0.5 - 100 Hz. For this purpose I have chosen Mumetal. Unfortunately Mumetals initial permeability has a dependency on frequency, meaning after around 500-600 Hz the initial permeability will plummet towards 1. My question is this: what if the mumetal is irradiated simultaneously with a high frequency (above 600 Hz) signal, and an ELF (0.5-100 Hz) signal, will the ELF signal be able to penetrate the mumetal (Assuming that it cannot on its own), or will the combination of the two create a new unique signal that does not classify as being between 0.5-100 Hz?

Hi everyone! My science fair project is about creating a biodegradable fish net at home. Our initial idea was to use fibourous plant materials to place in water from a local river and see how long it takes to biodegrade. We thought this idea would be boring and wanted to make it more interesting and efficient so we came up with the idea of creating a net that would fall apart after a given period of time, then begin to biodegrade. In order to do this we will cut the material into individual pieces then atttach the net together with a strong substance that will dicinigrate underwater after a period of time (12 hours to a week). We came up with the idea of making a pulp ou…

Ok, if i put say a spherical mass (one where i can control how it vibrates) in pure or almost pure water and if i hit a certain frequency or intensity would a space be created between the sphere and the water?

I changed my gas water heater over to electric in a simple and cheap method when my local gas supplier hiked the base rate and minimum usage from $12 monthly up to $30. Since I don't use gas for any other function in the house, and use very little hot water, I tried a modification to the existing setup that has worked great for the last 2 years. I disconnected the gas, took off the flue, and placed a 100 watt light bulb down into the flue, extending about 2/3 of the way down, on a ceramic socket and high temp wire. I plug in the light bulb in series with a variac that regulates the voltage. I keep the variac set at about 50 volts in the summer and around 60 volts in the…

We can see here how the ferrofluid changes its patterns due to the influence of one or two magnets:

A justified comment put to anyone wanting to promote their new Earth-shattering, groundbreaking, epoch-making, paradigm-shifing speculation is "where's the math(s)"? For people with active imaginations but lacking in mathematical training, what would be the best way to try to address this criticism and provide the maths to back up their ideas?

Hi! I am working on a project that includes medical alert dogs for a certain condition, and after doing some research I have confirmed that in most cases, including seizure alert dogs, scientists still do not know how dogs can tell about seizures, some websites I looked at told me it was a "sixth sense" that dogs have so they can "sense changes in a humans aura". Anyway, my question is, if we do not know how dogs know, how do we train them to tell us when they know. If anybody knows, I would appreciate the information.

I have an old car alternator , is it possible to convert it to DC motor which will have permanent magnets on the rotor , I have seen on the Internet so that it can work in the generator mode , can and in motor mode ? The stator's coil acting in bad condition, all three wires are breaking with the coil , I soldered them , can it will be able to do correctly. I questioned a diode , coil and the place where the soldered, and it shows that OK. I'm all that disassembled and pulled out, and when connect stator to the battery , there is no magnetic force of attraction , put the rotor in, or other ferometal and no attractive, whether it is a bad sign , whether there should be …

As someone who is going to major biology in college, one thing has always bugged me: bugs. Specifically, arthropods. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy them and I think of them as a beautiful and impressive creatures, but I always squirm when handling and touching them. To those who study and handle them, does it get easier? And how do you practice holding them? Besides the obvious fact of their gross legs and freaky jaws, I also worry about accidentally crushing them. I know that they have a pretty hardy exoskeleton, but occasionally their legs or antennae (or any other segments) gets between my fingers and they just come off. I have also thought of starting a bug c…