How to Fossilize Your Hamster: And Other Amazing Experiments for the Armchair Scientist

If you've ever wondered why a dried spaghetti noodle, when bent, always breaks into three or more pieces, rest assured that none less than Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman devoted hours to the same puzzle. O'Hare, a member of the New Scientist editorial team that produced Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?, provides such entertaining tidbits and empirical knowledge, alongside hours of activities, in this volume of science experiments for adults. Perfect for home scientists, it requires only basic household supplies (cornstarch, vinegar and milk are frequent components) and approximate measurements to carry out such tasks as measuring the speed of light (using a microwave and a chocolate bar), extracting DNA at home (with dish soap and alcohol), and accounting for toothpaste's effect on orange juice. Beside fun, each provides lessons in fundamental scientific principles, logic and problem solving. O'Hare even makes complex fluid dynamics such as thixotropy easy to understand-it's what makes ketchup ""gloopy,"" but able to change from ""gelatinous"" to ""runny"" through ""the input of energy, typically by shaking."" From food science to party tricks (complete with booze), O'Hare offers entertainment and edification for anyone who enjoyed (or missed out on) a childhood chemistry set.