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Half Hours of Scientific Amusement
by Gaston Tissandier

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Half Hours of Scientific Amusement by Gaston Tissandier

Practical physics and chemistry without apparatus.

A collection of simple science experiments that anybody can conduct in their own home. In part based on the column "physique sans appareils" (physics without apparatus) in La Nature. Translated by Henry Frith from the French.

Excerpt from the preface:

Young people of both sexes, and persons of all ages who have leisure and a taste for that which is ingenious as well as instructive and amusing, may be commended to this remarkably interesting collection of experiments, nearly all of which can be readily performed by an unskilled person who will carefully follow out the directions given. It is surprising how near we are to the most fundamental principles of science when we perform some of the simplest operations.

  • PREFACE
  • CHAPTER I. - PROPERTIES OF BODIES.
    • Strength.
    • THE HALFPENNY AND THE PIECE OF PAPER
    • THE TWO PIECES OF PAPER
    • TO BREAK A NUT WITH A FALLING KNIFE
    • Elasticity.
    • THE UNALTERABLE PELLET OF BREAD
    • Porosity. Permeability.
    • A BLOTTING-PAPER FILTER
    • TO PASS STEAM THROUGH CARDBOARD
    • Resistance of Substances.
    • AT WHICH SIDE WILL THE MATCH CATCH FIRE?
    • Hardness.
    • TO PIERCE A HALFPENNY WITH A NEEDLE
    • Centrifugal Force.
    • TO KEEP A PENNY REVOLVING IN A LAMP-SHADE
    • EFFECTS OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
    • THE SLING
    • TO THROW A POTATO TO A GREAT HEIGHT
    • The Principle of Inertia.
    • A PIECE OF MONEY ROLLING ON AN UMBRELLA
    • TO CUT A PEACH, WITH ITS STONE, RIGHT THROUGH
    • TO PROJECT ONE OR TWO "DRAUGHTSMEN" FROM A HEAP OF THEM
    • THE CARD AND THE COIN
    • EXPERIMENT OF INERTIA MADE WITH DOMINOES
    • THE PLATE AND THE PILE OF COPPERS
    • THE MONEY ON THE ELBOW
    • TO CUT AN APPLE IN A HANDKERCHIEF WITHOUT INJURING THE LATTER
    • THE STONE-BREAKER
    • TO UNCORK A BOTTLE WITHOUT A CORKSCREW
  • CHAPTER II. - EQUILIBRIUM OF BODIES.
    • TO BALANCE A PENCIL ON ITS POINT
    • THE MATCH PUZZLE
    • TO POISE A TUMBLER UPON THREE STICKS, EACH ONE OF WHICH HAS ONE END IN THE AIR
    • THE WATER-BOTTLE AND THE THREE KNIVES
    • TO SUSPEND A BUCKET OF WATER FROM A STICK RESTING ON A TABLE
    • THE FORKS AND THE COIN
    • EXPERIMENT WITH DOMINOES
    • HOW TO SIT WITHOUT CHAIRS
  • CHAPTER III. - DENSITY, HYDROSTATICS, ETC.
    • Hydrostatics.
    • ASCENT OF WINE IN AN INVERTED GLASS OF WATER
    • THE GRAPE-SEED IN THE GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE
    • HOW TO MAKE A SYPHON WITH A COMMON BOILED LOBSTER
    • TO MAKE A NEEDLE FLOAT
    • The Movements of Gases.
    • AERIAL CURRENTS
    • BLOWING OUT A CANDLE BEHIND A BOTTLE
    • TO REVOLVE A COIN BETWEEN TWO PINS
    • TO KEEP A PEA IN EQUILIBRIUM BY MEANS OF A CURRENT OF AIR
    • TO MAKE A PLANK ADHERE TO A TABLE BY MEANS OF A NEWSPAPER
    • Resistance of the Air.
    • THE AUSTRALIAN BOOMERANG
    • WHIRLING RINGS
  • CHAPTER IV. - PRESSURE OF THE AIR.
    • Pressure of the Air.
    • THE MAGDEBURG HEMISPHERES
    • THE "SUCKER"
    • THE PENHOLDER AND A VACUUM
    • Experiments with Compressed Air.
    • TO EXTINGUISH A CANDLE BY MEANS OF A BOTTLE
    • THE PAPER BAG FILLED WITH AIR
    • Aeronautics.
    • A MONTGOLFIER BALLOON
    • AIR AND GAS BALLOONS
  • CHAPTER V. - HEAT.
    • The Conductibility of Metals.
    • A BURNING COAL ON A MUSLIN HANDKERCHIEF
    • TO MAKE GAS BURN UNDER A HANDKERCHIEF
    • THE METAL IN THE PENHOLDER
    • Dilatation of Bodies by Heat.
    • THE CAPTIVE IMP
    • LINEAR DILATATION
  • CHAPTER VI. - LIGHT, OPTICAL ILLUSIONS, ETC.
    • Refraction.
    • THE MIRAGE
    • HOW TO MAKE A FLORIN APPEAR LIKE FIVE SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE
    • Vision and Optical Illusions.
    • THE WHITE AND BLACK SQUARES
    • THE DIVIDED LINES
    • LINES AND ANGLES
    • THE HAT EXPERIMENT
    • THE THREE GREAT MEN
    • THE MAGIC RINGS
    • Persistence of Impressions on the Retina.
    • THE IMP ON THE CEILING
    • THE MULE RIGOLO
    • THE SILHOUETTE PORTRAITS
    • TO VARY THE SIZE OF A HALFPENNY
  • CHAPTER VII. - ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM.
    • THE ELECTRIFIED PIPE
    • THE PAPER PUPPETS
    • THE MAGICIAN
  • CHAPTER VIII. - CHEMISTRY WITHOUT A LABORATORY.
    • OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN
    • AIR AND ITS ELEMENTS - CARBONIC ACID
    • FORMATION OF SALTS-INSTANTANEOUS CRYSTALLIZATION
    • TREE OF SATURN
    • TO PRODUCE GAS FOR LIGHTING PURPOSES
    • THE GRAVEN EGGS
  • CHAPTER IX. - MATHEMATICAL GAMES.
    • The Dice Trick.
    • THE TOWER OF HANOI AND THE QUESTION OF TONQUIN
    • THE PACKER'S SECRET
  • CHAPTER X. - NATURAL SCIENCE IN THE COUNTRY.
    • A COLLAR OF NUTS
  • CHAPTER XI - MECHANICAL TOYS, ETC.
    • ACROBATIC APE
    • TO LIFT A MAN WITH FIVE FINGERS
    • ATTRACTION
    • THE MAGIC GLASS
    • A FANTOCCINI TOP
    • A SMALL LOOM MADE WITH CARDBOARD
    • THE PAPER RINGS
    • A MECHANICAL PAPER BIRD
    • TO CUT A CORD WITH THE HANDS
    • THE MAGIC PICTURE WITH THREE FACES
    • IMITATION THUNDER
    • THE MECHANICAL FLY
    • THE DOUBLE MARBLE
    • EXPERIMENT IN SOUND - ACOUSTICS
    • PORTRAITS UNDER TWO ASPECTS

1st edition 1890, 141 pages; PDF 99 pages.
word count: 23088 which is equivalent to 92 standard pages of text


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