Stories by Jearl Walker

A homemade spectrophotometer scans the spectrum in a thirtieth of a second

The physics and chemistry of a failed sauce béarnaise

Flames in which air is introduced into a flammable gas rather than vice versa

The mysterious "rattleback": a stone that spins in one direction and then reverses

A radiation detector made out of aluminum foil and a tin can

Delights of forming water into sheets and bells with knives, spoons and other objects

How to build a simple seismograph to record earthquake waves at home

Experiments with Edwin Land's method of getting color out of black and white

How to measure the size of the earth with only a foot rule or a stopwatch

More on boomerangs, including their connection with the dimpled golf ball

Boomerangs! How to make them and also how they fly

Strange to relate, smokestacks and pencil points break in the same way

How to make dazzling photomicrographs with simple and inexpensive equipment

Moiré effects, the kaleidoscope and other Victorian diversions

Serious fun with Polyox, Silly Putty, Slime and other non-Newtonian fluids

Some whispering galleries are simply sound reflectors, but others are more mysterious

The bright colors in a soap film are a lesson in wave interference

Observations on grinding glass by hand and on making the most of a fireplace

Chemical systems that oscillate between one color and another

Drops of liquid can be made to float on the liquid. What enables them to do so?

What plumes of smoke tell about the structure of the atmosphere

The physics and chemistry underlying the infinite charm of a candle flame

Visual illusions that can be achieved by putting a dark filter over one eye

Introducing the Musha, the double lozenge and a number of other kites to build and fly