Recent Posts

Doubly Impossible Bottle

Each constructed by hand, each a work of art-  get a personalized bottle here:

From The Bottleologist website: BUY NOW: Impossible Bottle with Frame

From his Etsy store: BUY NOW: Impossible Bottles

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Doubly Impossible Bottle: the newest seemingly impossible object in my collection from craftsman/artist Grant Wicks @thebottleologist. An “impossible nail” object was somehow assembled within a Fannys Bay Whisky bottle- and personalized with my logo too! The puzzle aspect is to consider how the bottle was produced (I personally have some theories- but I do not know the secrets of this artist). I can tell you with high certainty that the bottle was never cut or altered in anyway, and it was not somehow formed around the objects inside. 

Magnetic Suspension Lamp

Available here: 

From Amazon: BUY NOW: Magnetic Suspension Lamp 

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Magnetic Suspension Lamp: not only does this lamp defy gravity, the LEDs in the bulb are powered through wireless induction (no batteries needed). This kind of levitation uses a control system with an adjustable electromagnet in a feedback loop with Hall effect sensors which allows for fine tuning of the magnetic field to exactly balance the pull of gravity. If this lamp design is unplugged (or the power goes off) the bulb assembly does not fall, but instead snaps onto the upper armature via strong permanent magnets embedded within. Amazing physics demonstrated by clever engineering! 

Toy Themed Marble Run

Out of production but still available on eBay:

From eBay: BUY NOW: FAO Schwarz Marble Run

Toy Themed Rolling Marble Sculpture: marbles perform gymnastics as potential energy of gravity is converted to kinetic energy. This festive FAO Schwarz branded marble run features two powered conveyers including an Archimedean screw inside the toy rocket (one AAA battery and a small motor for each). 


Holospex Candy Cane Spray

Get these fun hologram glasses here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Holospex Holiday Glasses

Get this inexpensive starburst led lamp here (some assembly required):
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Starburst LED Lamps

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Holospex Candy Cane Spray: Put on these spectacles and every point source of light gets a holographic candy cane image overlaid. The “lenses” in these Holospex glasses are actually transmission holograms but with the image located at the farthest point in the depth of field. A inexpensive “starburst” spray of LEDs is the perfect light source to showcase the effect. Made by @americanpaperoptics3d with many more images available. 

Cosmic Nebula Glass

This amazing and affordable kinetic art drinking vessel availble here:

From Mr.Sci Science Factory: BUY NOW: Cosmic Flow Cup

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Cosmic Nebula Glass: kinetic art you can sip from! A rheoscopic fluid fills the space between in this double walled glass revealing vortices and turbulent flows as the cup twists and turns, evoking cloud bands of gas giant planets or swirling luminescent stellar nebula. A new and unique product from my friends at Mr. Sci Science Factory and a wonderful take on the kalliroscope, where tiny platelet crystals in suspension catch the light and illuminate flow and motion. 

Non-Circular Gears

Get these wonderful laser cut sets here (I only added some bright spray paint): 

From Etsy: BUY NOW: Non-Circular Gears

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Non-Circular Gear Trains: a survey of a few designs using gears with some interesting shapes that can produce variations in rotation speeds, including two oblong gears, a triangle-square-oval train, two logarithmic spiral gears, and a four squircle gear set. A small sample of the infinite possible shape combinations and arrangements of non-circular gear sets.


Crystal Tree Kit

Get inexpensive crystal tree kits here:

From Amazon: BUY NOW: Magic Holiday Crystal Tree Kit
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Other Crystal Trees Kits

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Crystal Tree Kit: a solution of food grade potassium phosphate is wicked up a paper tree, and where the water evaporates tiny crystals grow like foliage on the paper branches. Ten hours of timelapse captures the initial wicking process and the crystal growth- within an hour the clumps of crystals appear and continue to grow until all the water is released. The crystals made this way are extremely fragile (gravity pulls a few clumps down in the process) and the finished tree can’t really be moved much without crumbling the crystals. Still very fun to watch them grow!

Maxwell's Top

Available from my friends at Grand Illusions Ltd.: 
From Grand Illusions: BUY NOW Maxwell's Top with Spiral 

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Maxwell’s Top: a new miniature version of one of my favorite demonstrations of the strange properties of rotating bodies- based on a famous experiment by the great physicist James Clerk Maxwell. When this bell shaped brass top is spinning an interesting stability can occur- push on the stem with an object and the top will push back, forcing the stem against that object, and friction will cause the stem to roll along and trace the edge of the object. In this design the stem will trace along the edge of a metal spiral, clinging to it like a magnet- but magnets are NOT involved here. The key to this design is to make the contact point/tip of the top at its own center of mass, then any frictional force in contact with the stem will produce a torque about the contact point at right angle to the direction of friction that creates the stabilizing force (students of physics may recognize application of the right hand rule here). An extreme physics toy- beautifully designed and crafted by Kontax Engineering Ltd

Dresden Glass Bead Star Tea Light

These gometirc candle holders are available from the artist's store here:

From glasperlenstern.de: BUY NOW: Glass Bead Star Tea Light

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Dresden Glass Bead Star: concentric designs of spherical glass beads produce geometric symmetries of shadow and refracted light from a tea light candle which serves as a point source of illumination. This “Glasperlen Stern” candle holder is one of many configurations offered from Dresden artist Andreas Schildhauer, each with glass set into porcelain from Freiberg.


Holospex Snowflake Holograms

Get these fun hologram glasses here:
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Holospex Holiday Glasses

Get this inexpensive starburst led lamp here (some assembly required):
From Amazon: BUY NOW: Starburst LED Lamps

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Holospex Snowflake Dandelion: Put on these spectacles and every point source of light gets a holographic snowflake image overlaid. The “lenses” in these Holospex glasses are actually transmission holograms but with the image located at the farthest point in the depth of field. A inexpensive “starburst” spray of LEDs is the perfect light source to showcase the effect. Made by @americanpaperoptics3d with many more images available.

Liquid Xenon Ampule

Available here:

From HaloPlasma: BUY NOW: Liquid Xenon Ampule

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Liquid Xenon Rapid Phase Change: this small sealed vial contains pure xenon gas at very high pressure- 65 atmospheres! When cooled to 16C (61F) the xenon gas undergoes a rapid phase change to liquid as seen here when the ampule is put in contact with the tip of an icicle. The video is shown in real time and the liquid xenon returns to gas within a few seconds and the process can be repeated indefinitely. The vial is made of fused quartz and kept small (3cm long) to be able to contain the high pressure environment which allows for such a high condensation temp (usually much colder at -108C).

 


Holiday Pyramid

Many types and themes available: 
From Amazon: BUY NOW Christmas Pyramids 

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Holiday Pyramid: a simple heat engine- rotational motion resulting from the convection of hot air due to the candle flames of two tea lights. These holiday decorations come from a German Christmas tradition, Weihnachtspyramide, that dates back more than 200 years! Energy transfer: chemical bonds to heat to kinetic energy of the rising air to rotational kinetic energy of the turbine and reindeer. 

Handheld Tesla Coil

Get this spark generator here:

From EngineDIY: BUY NOW: Handheld Tesla Coil

See other inexpensive tesla coils in my collection

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Handheld Tesla Coil: each pull of the trigger discharges a large capacitor (seen through the clear window) with a loud pop and a tiny lightning bolt then streaks from the tip. In this variation of the famous air core double-tuned resonate transformer invented by Nikola Tesla in 1891, the 10 cm long sparks are made possible by a very high voltage, but are made fairly safe due to a very low current (mA)- the discharge feels like a light sting (but don’t touch the electrode- it gets hot). This battery powered version is friendly for demonstrations, such as exciting an ampule of neon gas to glow brightly during the high voltages discharges (some views in slow motion). 

CMY Color Cube and Stand

Get this cube here:
from Amazon: BUY NOW: CMY Cube and CMY Cube Stand

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

CMY Color Cube with Stand: this special mount reveals the hexagonal outline hidden within every cube- and highlights the “cube within a cube” illusion. Thin films cover parallel sides of the transparent cube in cyan, magenta, and yellow which comprise the elements of the CMY subtractive color model- viewing the cube through various angles allows exploration of interesting combinations of the CMY elements- and contemplation of the physics and psychophysics of color perception. 
See also: the CMYK model and colorspace on Wikipedia. 


Jellyfish Automaton Lamp

Get this inexpensive lamp here:

From Amazon: BUY NOW: Jellyfish Lamp

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated


Jellyfish Automaton Lamp: this whimsical creation features an internal gear chain and LEDs to bring this inexpensive lamp to life, where simple rotation of each tentacle translates to horizontal and vertical motion- creating a delightful illusion of sway and flow. 

Convection Turbine Tree

Available here:

From Amazon: BUY NOW: Tea Light Turbine Tree

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Convection Turbine Tree: a simple turbine heat engine where rotational motion results from the convection of hot air from the candle flame. All moving parts are of thin stainless steel. Energy transfer: chemical bonds- to heat- to kinetic energy of the rising air- to rotational kinetic energy of the turbine and tree. 

Flower with Coronal Discharge: Disk Tesla Coil

Create amazing Telsa coil lighning at an affordable price! Please be sure to employ all appropriate safety precautions when utilizing any electrical circuity.  

From engineDIY: BUY NOW: Disk Tesla Coil

Click here for similar amazing devices from engineDIY

Note: this site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Coronal Brush Discharge + Flower: electric fields are concentrated at the sharp points of the petals of this ice plant bloom allowing coronal brush discharges to form miniature lightning bolts. The high voltage is supplied by a novel disk coil variation of the famous air core double-tuned resonate transformer invented by Nikola Tesla in 1891. In this novel design the coil is created using modern printed circuit board (PCB) technology producing a spiral of many conductive windings, so thin and close together it looks a bit like a gold phonograph record. Powered by a 24V DC supply, this unit is fairly safe due to a low current (mA)- the discharge feels like a light tickle (but don’t touch the electrode- it gets hot).