Geared towards children (grade K-6), their families, and anyone with a curiosity of the world around them, Compact Science episodes frame a scientific concept with a signature regional connection that celebrates the science and history of the Western New York and Southern Ontario region. Journey to Niagara Falls to explore geology, discover the chemistry at work in sponge candy, learn how density is the key to lake-effect snow, investigate the role of friction through the sport of curling, and more.
Each episode concludes with a Compact Science Viewer Challenge, an experiment aligned with National Science Education Standards, that can be performed at home or in a classroom. Instructions will be available right here on our website. We invite you to share your videos and photos of your results and we'll add them to the website.
Compact Science is funded in part by The Joy Family Foundation and the New York State Education Department.
Sarajane is a lifelong Buffalo resident and is currently the Director of Museum Programs and Experiences at the Buffalo Museum of Science. She has a passion for understanding the world we all live in - and one way is through science! Equipped with a life-long enthusiasm for all things STEM, she digests and explains concepts in ways that everyone can understand. When not at the Museum, she is an aspiring polyglot, sporadically avid reader, and a mediocre Tetris player.
BTPM is teaming up with the Buffalo Museum of Science for a classroom giveaway! Winners receive a visit from museum facilitators who will bring a unique educational experience right to your school with a hands-on classroom program.
Fill out the entry form by December 26, 2024 for your chance to win!
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Buffalo Toronto Public Media is teaming up with the Buffalo Museum of Science for a giveaway of a Family Membership! To enter our "Compact Science" Giveaway, please submit a video and/or photos of you (and/or the children in your life) participating in one of our Viewer Challenges. The more Viewer Challenges completed, the more entries you receive!🔬
Enter by January 3, 2025 for your chance to win!
Why does Buffalo, NY smell like breakfast? In this episode of Compact Science Sarajane explores the kitchen chemistry behind this phenomenon. Discover how molecules create smells, and dive into the Maillard reaction, the process that gives us deliciously browned foods. From cereal to cookies, learn why these scents make our mouths water! Take a sensory journey through the science of scent!
Topic: Senses, Diffusion, Motion of Molecules, Nanotechnology, Cell Membranes, Permeability
It may be true that seeing is believing, but molecules are hard to see. Sometimes, however, we can smell them. Use your sense of smell to explore the world on the nanoscale.
Materials:
* Flavor extracts can be pricey, so if you don’t have very many at home you have some other options. You can use essential oils mixed with some water, perfume, or cooking spices.
Directions:
Safety Precautions
Do not try this experiment if you are allergic to latex. Do not overinflate balloons.
How does it work?
Tiny scent molecules are leaking out of the balloons. You can’t see them, but you can smell them!
Your sense of smell works by identifying the shape of scent molecules. Molecules are made of particles called atoms that bond together. Everything in the world is made of atoms, including the balloon you’re holding and the scented air inside it.
Scent molecules are so small that they can travel through the balloon’s semipermeable membrane. In fact, they’re so tiny that they’re measured in nanometers! A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.
Air gradually leaks out of a tied balloon because the molecules inside the balloon move through the pores of the balloon’s skin, in a process known as diffusion. Air always diffuses from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure. An inflated balloon has greater air pressure than the air around it, so the air inside the balloon gradually escapes.
Nanoscale science focuses on the building blocks of our world, atoms and molecules. Scientists use special tools and equipment to detect and manipulate tiny, nanometer-sized particles.
In the field of nanotechnology, scientists and engineers make new materials and tiny devices. Researchers are creating tiny, nanometer-sized sensors that can detect very small concentrations of chemicals. Some of them work the way your nose does: by detecting the different shapes of molecules in the air.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards.
Grade 5
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Join us on Compact Science as we explore the sweet science of maple syrup! Learn about the biology of maple trees, the physics of sap movement, and the chemistry of syrup production. Sarajane visits a sugarbush at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village to see tapping in action. Learn about traditional and modern methods of tapping trees and producing this beloved breakfast staple.
Topic: Capillary Action, Surface Tension
Capillary action, the fascinating phenomenon of liquids moving through narrow spaces without external forces. Make water "walk" between glasses using nothing but paper towels.
Materials:
Directions:
How does it work?
As soon as you place the paper towels in the glasses, you should notice they start to absorb some of the water. The water starts getting sucked up the paper towel due to capillary action and eventually starts going down the other side into the empty glass. This process happens very slowly though—it is like watching paint dry or the clock slowly inch towards recess! You might need to go do something else for a couple hours before you can start seeing water accumulate in the empty glasses. The water will eventually stop flowing when the water level in all the cups is even—but you will probably have to let it sit overnight before this happens. When two different colors of water mix, the food-coloring dyes combine to form a third color.
Paper towels are made of many small fibers that have gaps in between them. Water gets pulled into these gaps by capillary action—the same phenomenon that allows trees to suck water out of the ground. This action is partially fueled by surface tension, which is caused by cohesion (water molecules being attracted to one another). Surface tension is what allows water to form beads instead of spreading out, and for some small insects to walk on water. It also allows water to get sucked up into narrow tubes or gaps in materials. The absorption process is also aided by adhesion (the attraction between different types of molecules). The paper towel fibers are made of cellulose, which also comprises wood and many plants. These fibers are polar, meaning they have a slight positive charge on one end and a slight negative charge on the other. Water molecules are also polar. Because opposite electric charges are attracted to each other, this results in the water molecules being attracted to the cellulose fibers. Ultimately, this means the water molecules can be sucked up through the paper towel and into an adjacent cup. After going over the top, the way back down is a little easier, since this time they are aided by gravity. As you noticed, this process is very slow! Plants and trees couldn’t survive without capillary action.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards.
Grade 4
Grade 5
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Discover the science behind Erie Canal's locks! Sarajane navigates through history and physics, revealing how this 19th-century marvel transformed commerce. Explore the principles that powered westward expansion and revolutionized transportation. Unlock the secrets of one of America's most iconic waterways from the intricacies of canal navigation to the ingenuity of hydraulic engineering!
Topic: Physics, Liquids, Geometry, Engineering
Amaze your friends with water that flows uphill! It’s not magic, it’s science. In this Viewer Challenge, you will build a very simple pump, called an Archimedes screw, to transfer water from a low-lying location to a higher location.
Materials:
Directions:
Extra: Try different designs of your Archimedes screw. What happens if you change the spacing of the tubing spiral, making the individual turns closer together or farther apart? What if you change the diameter of the PVC pipe or the tubing?
How does it work?
The Archimedes screw is a positive-displacement pump. A positive-displacement pump traps an amount of fluid from a source and then forces the fluid to move to a discharge location. The Archimedes screw is made up of a hollow cylinder and a cylindrical core. The core sits inside of the hollow cylinder. Helical blades (the plastic tubing in our experiment) are wound around the core and are secured tightly against the hollow cylinder. When you bend the tubing into a spiral shape, it forms individual pockets where water can get trapped because the tubing curves upward on both sides. If you look at your screw from the side, you will see these pockets filled with water. As you rotate the screw it traps alternating pockets of air and water, and the individual pockets move up the screw to the upper container. If you tilt the screw up at too steep of an angle, eventually one side of each pocket will point downhill allowing the water to flow back down. This is easiest to see if you stand the pipe up vertically—notice how there is nowhere for the water to get "trapped" without flowing downhill.
Background:
Archimedes of Syracuse was born in the 3rd century BC. He was one of the most important inventors of his time because he liked to solve problems. The King of Syracuse requested that Archimedes build the biggest luxury ship possible. This ship proved to be leaky and Archimedes had to design a device to rid the hull of bilge water. So he designed the Archimedes screw. The screw was very effective because it got rid of the water and only required one person to operate it. The Archimedes screw was also used to transport water from low-lying areas up to irrigation ditches. The design is so effective that it is still being used in many modern-day applications.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards.
Grade 3
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Join us on a fossil-hunting adventure in Western New York as we unearth creatures from an ancient undersea environment that existed nearly 400 million years ago. In this episode, Sarajane visits Penn Dixie Fossil Park. From horn corals to trilobites, we explore the geologic secrets hidden in rocks, revealing ancient marine life and the process of fossilization.
Topic: Geology, Fossils, Paleontology
Create your own fossils with items found in your kitchen!
Materials:
Directions:
How does it work?
It’s really hard to make your own, real fossils. If you had your own dinosaur, first you’d have to bury it in layers and layers of dirt. Then, make sure there are no pockets in the sediment where air and water can reach the rock, and then wait tens of thousands of years. Voilà! You have fossilized dinosaur bones and teeth!
Most fossils are formed when a plant or animal dies in a watery environment and then is rapidly buried in mud and silt. The soft parts of the plants and animals break down leaving the hard bones or shells behind. Over time, small particles called sediment build up over the top and harden into rock. These clues of the remains of these animals and plants are preserved for scientists to find thousands of years later. These types of fossils are called body fossils. Sometimes only the activity of the plants and animals are left behind. These types of fossils are called trace fossils. Think about footprints, burrows, trails, food remains etc.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 4
Grade 5
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
A total eclipse is one of the rarest and most spectacular events in nature. For the first time since 1925, Western New York will experience a total solar eclipse – an amazing celestial event when the light of the sun is completely blocked out by the moon. In this episode of Compact Science Sarajane explores the science of eclipses and unravels why the 2024 solar eclipse is such a big deal!
Topic: Solar Eclipse, Orbits, Theory of General Relativity
A tennis ball and a beach ball are different sizes. Can you make them appear to be the same size?
Materials
Directions
How does it work?
Solar eclipses are possible because the Sun and the Moon have the same apparent size in the sky. The Sun is actually much bigger than the Moon, but they look the same size because the Sun is much farther away. The Sun’s diameter is about 400 times wider than that of the Moon, but the Sun is also about 400 times farther away from Earth. In astronomy, scientists often refer to objects by their apparent size as seen from Earth. The Sun and Moon just happen to have a very similar apparent size!
Solar eclipses are possible because of this amazing coincidence. During a solar eclipse, the Moon comes very close to covering the entire Sun. Earth is the only place in the whole solar system where a total solar eclipse can be observed.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 5
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
It’s the food most synonymous with Buffalo- chicken wings, in fact the rest of the world calls them Buffalo wings. You may think wings dipped in blue cheese is a match made in heaven but it’s really a match based in science. In this episode of Compact Science we’ll explore the science of wing sauce from the Scoville Scale to capsaicin zero in on how our bodies react when we taste something spicy.
Topic: Senses, Adaptation, Information Processing
Use water to test your sensory perception of temperature.
Materials
Directions
How does it work?
Sensory adaptation is the brain's way of protecting itself from overload.
When you submerge your hands in hot and cold water, the brain is getting the same message repeatedly. Thermoreceptors in one hand are sending the message, 'Cold, cold, cold,' while thermoreceptors in the other hand are sending the message, ‘Hot, hot, hot.’ And the brain is saying, 'I know, I know. Now leave me alone until you have something different to tell me.’
Your body adapted to heat on one side and cold on the other. The room temperature water is cooler than the hot water, and warmer than the cold water. So when you switch to the room temperature water, the receptors that got used to the hot water, send signals that sense it as cold; and the receptors that got used to the cold water sense the room temperature water as hot, even though they are both feeling water that is the same temperature.
Adaptation can also occur when we repeatedly smell something, like popcorn or when we look at something for a prolonged period. In all cases, the brain has adapted to the constant message it is receiving, and turns down its sensitivity to the particular smell or sight.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 4
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
We explore the science of lake effect snow and see why Buffalo, NY is so often in its bullseye. Some may think it’s destiny that makes Buffalo one of the snowiest cities in the US, but it is really density.
Topic: Lake Effect Snow, Density
Try your hand at stacking liquids. Pour together different substances to create a colorful density column!
Materials
Directions
How does it work?
Density is the amount of stuffed that is packed together (density = mass/volume). Things with high density sink, while things that have a low density float! Warm air is less dense, so it floats – hot air rises. Cold air is denser, so it sinks.
Different liquids can have different densities too. The denser materials at the bottom of your glass are packed with more “stuff” – more atoms and molecules.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 3
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Curling is a thrilling sport filled with strategy, skill, sweeping, surprise and science!
Topic: Curling & Friction, Inertia and Momentum
Get first-hand experience on how friction affects motion!
Materials
Directions
How does it work?
Friction occurs when two objects are touching. The air coming out of the balloon creates an area of low friction by creating a layer between the surface and the CD, which allows the hovercraft to glide. When the balloon fully deflates and the air isn’t flowing, the CD will be directly touching the table and will not move as easily.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 3
Grade 4
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Sponge candy, a delicate, yet crunchy toffee confection covered in chocolate, is perhaps the sweetest way to explore chemistry.
Topic: Sponge Candy, Chemistry of Baking Soda
Materials
Directions
How does it work?
Instead of adding heat to change the baking soda, we added another chemical! When you combine the baking soda with the vinegar, an acid-base chemical reaction takes place, creating carbon dioxide gas! This carbon dioxide is what made the balloon inflate, and it’s what makes forms the bubbles in sponge candy.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 5
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Niagara Falls is one of the most recognizable waterfalls in the world and it also happens to be in our backyard. In this episode we explore the power of water and its erosive power that shaped this geological wonder.
Topic: Water & Erosion, the Formation of Niagara Falls
Use water in different ways to see how fast your candy disappears.
Materials
Directions
How does it work?
Water can erode on its own through the process of dissolution, like in jar A. With added force, or shaking, like in jar B, we can speed up the rate of erosion. This is one of the reasons why areas that have fast water movement, like Niagara Falls, experience a faster rate of erosion than other places where water is standing still, like in a pond.
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards
The content in these videos and accompanying activities touch upon various concepts from the New York State Science Learning Standards - Grades 3-5 and Middle School (Grades 6-8).
Grade 4
Grade 5
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
