In the Name of Science: Unnecessary Experiments

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In summary, the conversation discusses various experiments that were done for the sake of curiosity and not for any practical or scientific purpose. These include boiling water in a paper cup, creating hot air balloons, experimenting with fire and explosives, and burning tea bags. The conversation also touches upon some funny and potentially dangerous experiments, such as sticking a bobby pin into an electrical socket and making a potato cannon. Despite the potential dangers, the participants in the conversation seem to enjoy experimenting and exchanging ideas with each other.
  • #1
Shahil
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What is the most interesting but unnecessary experiment you have done in the name of science?

I'm not asking for things that actually do some good for the world (like discover penicillin or something) but things that are really "stupid" to be taken seriously as proper experiments but things you did just for the sake of your enquiring mind?
 
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  • #2
One of the most stupid experiments I have done is to boil water in a paper cup, sitting in a dry pan on an electric stove. I was just a kid, about 9 years old. I had not heard about this experiment before, I was just curious to see what would happen to the cup.

The water boiled and the cup was fine (it did not burn), the stupid part came when I set the hot pan on the kitchen table. It left a nice round, dark, black burn mark on the table! I quickly set the table careful to place a dish exactly over the mark. It was discovered almost immediately, of course.

Next to this were my experiments with hot air ballons using dry cleaner bags and a can of flaming gasoline. (the darn thing worked for a second then melted through and nearly caught my parents yard on fire.
 
  • #3
Outing cigarettes in a cup of gasoline, lol. :biggrin:
 
  • #4
Droped several drops of silver nitrate solution on my hands intentionally to see how long the brown stain would gone. :wink:
 
  • #5
I made rockets out of teabags..
 
  • #6
I basically blow anything up with petrol, meths or potassium permangange and glyerin.

The Bob (2004 ©)
 
  • #7
I just wrote out one thing I did but I had better not. In this day and age playing with explosives ist verboten! DARN! I will only say this: lots of HCL and Al.

When I was very young I once glued my dads ladder in the closed position with industrial strength epoxy.

I knew a guy that wanted to dispose of a bag of gun powder. He stuck it in the fireplace and lit the bag. All of the hair on the front of his head - eyelashes, eyebrows, nose hairs, and the hair around his forehead was gone in a flash. He had to lie on the bed with his nose draining into a pan since the burns prevented any blowing.

This is the same guy that tried masterbating with Ben Gay; and then told everyone!
 
  • #8
Monique said:
I made rockets out of teabags..

huh? :confused:
 
  • #9
Same as you: I wrote it out but better not, playing with fire is verboden too :) Ah well, basically, if you remove the string and the .. iron thingie and empty the teabag, stand the thing upright and light the top of the cone, it will slowly burn up and start taking off into the air! Don't do it inside because your kitchen will be covered in teabag ashes.
 
  • #10
Oh come on people. I do these things in controlled conditions (my friend is next ot me with a fire bucket :tongue2: ). No but seriously when I do it there is no danger. We all know the rules on fire and the precautions we have to take. We know what we are doing.

Werum ist es verboten?

The Bob (2004 ©)
 
  • #11
Waarom is het verboden? Omdat het niet mag.
 
  • #12
Monique said:
Waarom is het verboden? Omdat het niet mag.

Sorry I do not speak erm... is it Dutch? I really do not know what language it is but I think you (Monique) are from Holland because I rememeber a conversation about Holland in Euro 2004 and you wanted them to win. The only word I recognise is 'mag' to mean 'to like'. I think you are going to have to teach me Dutch.

The Bob (2004 ©)
 
  • #13
Monique said:
Same as you: I wrote it out but better not, playing with fire is verboden too :) Ah well, basically, if you remove the string and the .. iron thingie and empty the teabag, stand the thing upright and light the top of the cone, it will slowly burn up and start taking off into the air! Don't do it inside because your kitchen will be covered in teabag ashes.

Your tea bags must be different from ours in the USA. With a USA type tea bag, I don't see this working. Darn it, I know I want to try it! :rofl: (I promise to take it outside first.) :smile:
 
  • #14
Artman said:
Your tea bags must be different from ours in the USA. With a USA type tea bag, I don't see this working. Darn it, I know I want to try it! :rofl: (I promise to take it outside first.) :smile:

I think English tea bags are the same.

I still want to know why writing that fire is good is verboten?

I think i have translated:
Monique said:
Waarom is het verboden? Omdat het niet mag.
Why is it forbidden? Because it cannot. Why cannot it not :confused: ?

The Bob (2004 ©)
 
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  • #15
I can't say I've done it myself, but circulating http://www.circus.com/~no_dhmo/ is a nifty experiment.
 
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  • #16
Hurkyl said:
I can't say I've done it myself, but circulating http://www.circus.com/~no_dhmo/ is a nifty experiment.

That was really funny.
 
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  • #17
yes, very good. I already sent it to several friends.
 
  • #18
This goes back to when I was about eight...

Women used to use things called 'bobby pins' in their hair. A bobby pin was a thin strip of metal bent in half, such that the free ends were near one another. My mom had some sitting around the house. I bent one enough to get the ends to go into an electrical socket, to satisfy my budding curiosity about 'lectricity. The breaker out in the back yard was tripped by the sudden surge of current through the pin, but not before the current heated the pin up to a high enough temperature to leave blisters on my thumb and forefinger.
 
  • #19
There was the time my brother and his friend made a potato canon. It was a long pieace of PVC piping about 3 in diametar and 5 ft long, attached to a shorter pieace of PVC piping about 6 in diametar and 1 foot long. They had a screw lid for the short pieace of PVC pipe and a .5 in hole drilled into the side of the peace of pipe.

What you do is put the potato at the end of the long pieace and push it down a couple of feet with the end of a broom handle. Then sprey in some Aerosol hairspray into the larger chamber, screw on the lid, and stick a long BBQ lighter into the hole you drilled, click it a couple of times and BOOM! Your Potato goes flying a several hundred feet. :biggrin: :biggrin:

Careful not to aim it at anyone cause they could get realllly hurt. :frown:
 

1. What is considered an unnecessary experiment in the name of science?

An unnecessary experiment in the name of science is one that does not have a clear research question or purpose, and is conducted solely for the sake of satisfying curiosity or gaining attention. These experiments often involve excessive risk or harm to participants, animals, or the environment.

2. Why do some scientists conduct unnecessary experiments?

Some scientists may conduct unnecessary experiments due to pressure to publish groundbreaking findings, competition for funding or recognition, or a desire for fame or notoriety. In some cases, unethical scientists may also conduct unnecessary experiments for personal gain or to prove a point.

3. How can we prevent unnecessary experiments from being conducted?

We can prevent unnecessary experiments by promoting ethical standards and guidelines in scientific research, encouraging open and transparent communication within the scientific community, and holding scientists accountable for their actions. Funding agencies and regulatory bodies can also play a role in preventing unnecessary experiments by carefully reviewing research proposals and enforcing regulations.

4. What are the potential consequences of conducting unnecessary experiments?

The consequences of conducting unnecessary experiments can be far-reaching and severe. They can include harm or injury to participants or animals, damage to the environment, wasted resources and funding, and negative impacts on the reputation and credibility of the scientific community. In extreme cases, unnecessary experiments can also lead to legal and ethical consequences for the individuals responsible.

5. How can we raise awareness about the issue of unnecessary experiments in the name of science?

We can raise awareness about unnecessary experiments by educating the public about the importance of ethical standards in scientific research, promoting responsible and transparent communication within the scientific community, and speaking out against unethical practices. Social media and other forms of media can also be used to raise awareness and start important conversations about this issue.

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