19 March 2013

Don’t Try This At Home! Extreme Science Experiments With Photonicinduction [Stuff to Watch]



The combination of YouTube, scientists and the quest for rating often makes for explosive results, whether it’s a running joke about being terrible at science or zero-gravity experiments that look incredible. This week’s Stuff to Watch features YouTube channel Photonicinduction, two very capable scientists conducting experiments that no scientist ever would recommend you try yourself.


These guys clearly know their stuff and have a literal shed load of scientific equipment to mis-use and abuse, though that’s not to say these are safe experiments in anyone’s hands. If you always wished your science teacher had gone a little crazy and let you run riot with high voltage, petrol and home appliances then this is one YouTube channel you must subscribe to.


Extreme Dyson Test


When you spill petrol, light it on fire and decide to clean up what’s the first step you should take? Well it’s probably not going to involve vacuuming up fire, but that’s what the guys from Photonicinduction seem to think works best.


It’s definitely worth watching to the end to see just how much punishment a Dyson can take before giving up the ghost.



“Fun” With An Autotransformer


An autotransformer is a device which allows the user to modify the voltage delivered to a circuit. What you should never do with such a device is wire it up to a good friend and turn up the voltage. If you do, be sure to stop before you kill him or her.


This technique is demonstrated fairly well in the video below. There’s nothing wrong with a small shock, but it’s generally not a great idea to do this.



Washing Machine Self-Destructs


How long does the spin cycle on your washing machine last? Does it start smoking half-way through due to the intense speed of the drum? Do you then throw rocks in it?


If you’ve ever needed a good excuse not to throw rocks into a running washing machine (or conduct destructive experiments next to a flower bed) then check out this original video.



Huge 60-Year Old Light Bulb


Just to show it’s not all about blowing things up and shocking friends the guys behind Photonicinduction got their hands on a 1960s Mazda light bulb that was purchased as a spare by the BBC for a film shoot.


There’s no destruction whatsoever in this video, just a rather beautiful relic of the past that still works after all these years.



High Voltage, High Current, Dead Motor


Washing machines and their respective components are often seen as excellent test subjects by the Photonicinduction channel, and this video documents the rather spectacular death of a motor that’s being fed way too much juice.



A Thunderstorm Capacitor


Capacitors store electronic charge before discharging a potentially deadly shock, and are important in the functioning of everyday electronic devices. In this next video our mad professor discharges 400,000 volts delivered via the usual 13 amp plug from the comfort of his house.


This is essentially manufacturing an electric storm, with rather incredible results at the end. Unfortunately, we can’t embed this video, so watch it directly on YouTube: Photon’s Thunderstorm Capacitor


The Railgun


A coil gun, often known as a railgun in popular culture, is an incredibly efficient way of firing a projectile using electricity. These things are not hard to make, but have the potential to be incredibly dangerous.


Also dangerous is the practice of putting a coconut inside a watermelon and discharging a capacitor through it, also featured here.



Fire & Ice


Does snow burn? That depends on whether you’re going to add petrol to the mix or not. The results of this rather interesting winter experiment are rather beautiful as the snow appears to be burning. It’s also probably one of the safest experiments conducted on this YouTube channel, though that’s not saying much.


Maybe this will make for a new effective way of clearing snow, then again maybe not.



The Rest


There are around 100 videos in the Photonicinduction YouTube channel, and while many of them involve the wanton destruction of retired home appliances, others are actually quite educational (honest). Watching Photonicinduction is a lot safer than conducting your own dangerous experiments, so check out the YouTube channel for more lunacy.


Do you have any favourite mad science YouTube channels? Any other favourites you’d like us to feature? Let us know what you think in the comments, below.


The post Don’t Try This At Home! Extreme Science Experiments With Photonicinduction [Stuff to Watch] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



No comments:

Post a Comment