Did you know that creativity is an important aspect of scientific exploration and discovery? When scientists make observations and collect data, they compare the new information to what has been recorded before. Often, patterns will emerge which makes scientists even more curious! This will cause them to ask questions and then they need to think of ways that they can set up tests to get answers. Divergent thinking is a method used to generate creative new ideas.
This is the first challenge in the Enchanted Science Divergent Thinking series. Today we are going to be considering a penny:
How many drops?
Have you have done the experiment where you see how many drops of water a penny can hold? Go ahead an give it a try! But first, what is your prediction? How many drops of water do you think will fit on top of a penny? Draw your idea, so you can refer to it later.
Try it again!
An important aspect of science is that results need to be able to be replicated. That means, you need to do the same experiment lots of different times and see if you get the same answer each time. Can you find 5 different pennies and see how many drops fit on each?
Change a Variable
When you finish an exploration, there are always different things to test. Here are some ideas:
-Which holds more drops, a wet or a dry penny? Does the front or back of a penny hold more drops?
-Is there a difference between your results using hot and cold water?
-What happens when your penny is very cold? How about very warm?
-What are your results using salt water?
-What other liquids can you try? Rubbing alcohol? Milk?
Penny Problems
What are some other explorations you can do with pennies? Here are some ideas:
-What’s the best way to clean pennies? Place a few in a jar with a lid, add a cleaner (Salt? Baking powder? Soap?) add water and shake.
-How far can you roll a penny? Do other types of coins roll farther?
-Can you make a penny float?
-Do all pennies weigh the same? How can you test this?
What else?
What other ideas do you have? Let me know in the comments!
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