- Are you feeling curious?

- Yeah!

- Today on Curious Crew.

- Whoa!

- Now that's interesting.

There's a bit of Hocus Pocus as our investigations focus on illusions.

- How is that even possible?

- Hold onto your hats!

This is one magical episode.

- Ah, the magic of science.

- Support for curious crew is provided by MSU federal credit union.

Offering a variety of accounts for children and teens of all ages while teaching lifelong saving habits, more information is available at www.msufcu.org.

Also by the Consumers Energy Foundation dedicated to ensuring Michigan residents have access to world-class educational resources.

More information is available at ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.

Consumers Energy Foundation, supporting education and building sustainable communities in Michigan's hometowns.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(energetic music) - Hi, I'm Rob Stevenson.

- And this is... - Curious Crew!

- Welcome to the show everybody.

We always like to start every episode with a couple of discrepant events because discrepant events stimulate.

- Curiosity.

- That's exactly right.

And I've got some fun ones for you my friends.

First of all, I got a question for Ollie.

Ollie, what are you noticing right here on the table in front of me?

- Looks like an empty can.

- I've got this empty can and you'll notice it's even dented over there.

And I was so disappointed when I saw that because I was kind of thirsty.

I thought, oh man, I was really hoping for something to drink.

So I'm hoping maybe we can turn back time a little bit.

In fact, if we can turn back time just enough, perhaps I can make it.

So it is not empty.

Ollie, what are you noticing right now?

- The dents are disappearing.

- That is odd.

And in fact, let's see if we can have a drink after all.

Not bad, not bad.

That's kind of interesting.

Okay.

Now I also have this little piece of paper, this little piece of paper here, and I'm just going to hold it against my finger like this.

And Kah'reice, I'm going to turn around in place.

What do you think is going to happen with this little piece of paper?

- I think you're going to drop it.

- Wow!

- Isn't that cool?

Okay.

So Kah'reice, what did you notice?

What was it doing?

- It was spinning.

- It's spinning, sticking to my finger and spinning.

Awesome.

Okay.

So these are some really unusual phenomena, right?

Discrepant events make us wonder, make us ask questions and we have to think scientifically.

And in fact, I'm going to encourage a few of you to do a little scientific thinking and try to model out some sort of explanation for these discrepant events.

Who would like to do a little modeling moment today?

Let's see, who would like to do that?

Okay.

It's going to be Ian, Genesis, and Audrey.

You guys are going to work on that.

Now does anybody have a guess what we're going to explore today in our episode?

What do you guys think?

What do you think, Tauren, you got an idea?

- Are we talking about magic?

- Ah, magic.

And of course, this hat might've given it away a little bit.

I'll just keep that out there.

So we've got this refillable soda can, and we've got this paper propeller.

Pretty interesting.

Stick around and maybe you'll learn some magic tricks along the way to amaze your friends.

- Okay.

Let's figure out what's happening with these discrepant events.

- That soda can was interesting.

It clearly was never really empty, even though it looked like it was, - I know.

The opening was dark and it was dented.

So it looked like it was empty.

But did you notice how Dr.

Rob moved around the can when he lifted it up?

- Yeah.

Somehow that movement helped make it less dented, but he didn't even touch the part that was dented in the first place.

- He did pass his hand over the top of the can and then the can was closed again.

But what about the paper propeller?

- That was interesting.

I wonder if the folds of the paper are responsible for the rotation.

(energetic music) - The use of magic has been around for hundreds of years as a form of entertainment.

Whether a magician makes things float, disappear, or change into something new, the audience observes things that seem impossible.

Amazingly many of these magical phenomena can be explained with science and even make us think scientifically.

When you see someone make an object disappear, you start asking questions.

How does that work?

Can I figure out how to explain that?

So let's look at some other tricks, think of wonderings, and try to explain them with science.

- So weren't those discrepant events interesting, you guys?

- Yeah!

- So I've got some fun activities to start with in this investigation.

And in fact, when we think about magic, it's often about illusion and our power of observation.

Now this looks like an ordinary hexagon.

Doesn't it you guys, and I've got a nice blue face on this, but this is an unusual piece of paper.

And in fact, after I made this blue side, I decided, you know what, I'm going to do the other side in red.

But then I had a change of heart and I decided blue was not what I wanted on the other side.

I wanted it green.

Now this is an unusual activity.

And I know you guys each have one.

So I want you to pull yours out and see if you can practice folding these quickly while I show how this works.

The way we made this is using a series of equilateral triangles.

So I have those right here.

There are nine of them.

And the first thing that you guys have to do when you make this is you have to crease it back and forth and back and forth.

So it gets really, really flexible.

Then I'm going to take three of those triangles and bend them up this way.

And three of those triangles and bend them up this way and then overlap the flap, put a little piece of tape along the top.

And once you've done that, if you continue to fold it, it will weaken so much that you can pull it up through the center and confuse your friends.

How this can have three sides to the piece of paper.

How's yours working there, Tauren?

Can you get it?

Excellent.

Well done.

Ollie let's take a look at yours.

How's it going?

- Pretty good.

- Oh yeah.

Now see if you can flip it inside out.

Excellent job.

Well done.

Okay.

So it looks like you're turning the paper inside out, which is really interesting.

Okay.

You can put that down for a second.

Now I've got a question for you.

Have either of you ever tried to pierce a potato with a straw?

Tauren's admitting it.

Okay.

So here's the trick and you can try this at home.

You just take an ordinary straw and you can do this with a potato or an apple.

Now you challenge a friend.

Can you pierce that potato with the straw?

Now this does not seem very possible.

Potatoes are really hard.

Straws are really flimsy, but here's the trick.

Cover the top with your thumb and then strike it.

And amazingly, it will go right through the potato.

Now, the reason this is so, if you close the top, you've just captured the air that's inside.

And now that air is going to make the straw really stiff and rigid.

Kind of like an entire column that can go right through your potato or through your apple.

Try some of these tricks and amaze your friends.

Ah, the magic of science!

Gotta love it.

- Here's a fun magic trick to amaze your family and friends.

Take a yellow highlighter and highlight a phrase of text from a piece of paper.

Be sure the ink mark is narrower than your finger.

Pass your fingers slowly over the highlighted text in a single direction, saying some magic words and watch it disappear.

What your friend didn't know was that you had dipped your finger in lemon juice and the acid and the juice affects the pH sensitive highlighter ink, turning it clear.

Great job.

- So I've got some fun magic tricks that I'd like to share.

First, I'm going to do one for you.

And then you're going to do one with me.

Okay?

Now this one is going to start with an ordinary dollar bill.

Now, the way this trick works is I'm going to take this dollar bill and I'm going to just fold it in half.

And then I want to just fold up this corner.

The reason I want to try to do that is I like to try to balance the dollar on my hand.

Let me see if I can get it balanced on my fingers.

Wait a minute.

Oh now that's interesting.

That's really interesting.

And of course, you're probably wondering, how is that even possible?

What's going on?

Okay.

So clearly you've probably seen levitation tricks before haven't you guys.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Now there's there has to be a trick.

We can't defy gravity with a dollar bill.

Now, one of the amazing things that magicians use are these invisible or nearly invisible strings.

Okay.

And I actually have one and it's right here.

It's incredibly hard to see.

I can't even see it.

And so I have to feel where it is.

And so when you do this trick, you have to set it up ahead of time.

Okay.

And then I like to flip it back towards myself and you're just giving it time to get settled.

And then if you balance it like this, it gives it time to get settled and still, and then you can levitate.

And if you move your hands around and even circle it around, over that, it looks even more impressive because you're thinking, how is that possible?

And of course we have a little string that's right there.

So let's think about another kind of levitation that we can do with no strings involved.

Okay.

This time, what we're going to do is I've got this plastic rod.

I sent some rods to you as well.

Let me see them.

Okay, great.

Now, we need to charge this up.

What do you guys want to use felt or your hair?

What do you think Audrey?

Going with her hair.

Okay.

Kah'reice what do you want to do?

Felt or your hair?

- Felt.

Okay.

Felt.

You guys charge up.

I'm gonna charge up mine.

And so the trick to this is you get a little piece of bundle of tinsel and you tie it together.

And in fact, you can see, it starts to move away.

At first, it will attract and then it will repel.

Now the amazing thing is I have too many electrons on the rod and there's too many electrons on the tinsel.

And if I'm really careful, I might even be able to get it to dance.

You guys try yours and see if you can get it to repel up there and let's see if I can get it to, oh yeah, that was good.

I almost got caught on my magic string.

Now, when you see levitation tricks with a magician, ask yourself, does it make sense?

Could it be explained with non-contact forces like repulsion, like what I'm doing right now or will it be with a string?

Pretty cool.

Let me see your guys.

Nice job.

Oh, we get some attraction and repulsion.

Try some of the tricks at home.

Amaze your friends.

Magic levitation.

It's really cool.

- Try this.

Show your friend a piece of ribbon that's looped around the handle of the cup, held between your thumb and index finger.

Move your hand back and forth to demonstrate that it is looped around the handle.

On the count of three, quickly pull your hand away from the mug and watch the ribbon pass through the handle.

To create this illusion, the ribbon is folded in half with the loop passing through the handle back on itself.

But the end is hidden under your thumb.

When moved quickly, the loose end will slide out and zip around the handle.

Voila.

- So have you guys been having fun exploring magical science?

- Yeah.

- Awesome!

I have a really fun stem challenge and it starts with a piece of paper just like this.

So I got to show you what we're going to be doing.

So I've got this ordinary piece of paper and the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm just going to roll it into a tube and that's kind of important just to roll it up.

And once we have it rolled into a tube, then we have some fun.

You can do this with your hand or with the magic wand.

And let's see, wait a minute.

I think there's something in this tube.

Whoa.

That's kind of cool.

That's kind of cool.

Oh my goodness.

That's pretty cool.

Now it's up to you.

You are going to make your own magic paper tube.

And if you watch close, you'll see how to make your own and surprise your friends.

Are you guys ready to get started?

- Yeah.

- All right.

Let's try.

- Dr.

Rob is having us make a magic paper tube.

Oh my gosh!

That's magic.

- We're using two pieces of construction paper, a bandana, and tape.

I need tape.

- First we had to roll up the first piece of construction paper really small, and then tape that to the back of the second piece of construction paper so that you couldn't see it when we held it up.

And then you stuffed the bandana in there.

- For me, the most challenging part of this experiment was getting the bandana in the tube.

I had to roll it up as small and as thin as I could.

So it will fit into the tube.

All done.

- If kids at home are going to try this, I would say use construction paper.

- I think it's really interesting to see that basically everything including magic is so closely related to science.

I got it.

- So are you guys finished with your magic paper tubes?

- Yeah.

- All right.

Hold them up.

Let me see them.

Oh, that looks good Ollie.

Oh yeah.

And you've already learned the first trick.

Right?

Keep it tipped towards you.

Good job.

Now let's let them in on the secret.

Turn them around so everybody can see what's on the backside.

So of course on the backside, we are putting a tube that is already there and I can see right out of the top of Tauren's, we've got the bandana peeking out.

So you want to slide that down gently.

Good job.

And of course, this is one of those tricks you have to prepare ahead of time.

A lot of magic tricks are set up early, right?

And so then you bring out your friend and you say, hey, look at this ordinary piece of paper.

All right.

So turn it around.

So like, you're going to be doing the trick, turn around, turn around.

There you go.

So then the trick you guys is to roll it right around the tube.

And once you start, you can use both hands to make it easier to roll.

And you just have to be careful to keep the top tipped back so nobody can see what's inside.

And then, okay, go ahead and reach on in there.

You guys, it's an empty tube or is it?

(laughing) Nice job.

And of course Tauren's, but I liked that you were pulling a completely inside out.

Try making your own paper magic tube and you can take Ollie's advice.

Use some construction paper that's nice and opaque.

It's a lot harder to see through.

Have some fun!

Pretty magical.

- Sometimes tricks are surprising because you are unaware of something in front of you.

Like the magic tube.

In this trick, set up an empty glass, a clear measuring cup of water and a clear cup of sugar.

Tell your friend that you'll be making lemonade from sugar and water.

Pour the water.

Then the sugar into the glass and stir with a spoon Behold, lemonade.

The trick here is to pour a packet of powdered lemonade in with the dry sugar from the beginning.

It is only when it combines with the water that we notice a color change.

Magic often challenges our power of observation.

- All right.

I've got some classic magic tricks for you two, but it's going to start with my special lota bowl right here.

Genesis.

Can you see what's inside my bowl?

- I'm pretty sure that's water.

Yeah, you're right.

And I meant to empty it.

So I'm just going to pour that out.

Cause I needed to empty that.

I'll come back to that in just one second.

I also wanted to share with you something I have right here.

I've got this special ink, and Ian, I just want you to describe for me when I pour this out, is this solid, liquid, or gas?

- That's definitely a liquid.

- That is definitely a liquid.

Oh, you know what?

I forgot something.

I forgot to empty my bowl.

Sorry about that.

I meant to do that.

Sorry.

Okay.

So we know this is liquid right.

Now, do you think this would be really cool if we could make the ink come alive?

Okay.

So watch it close.

Let's see if we can make it come alive.

Now that's really cool.

That is really, really cool.

Okay.

And so you're probably thinking, oh, I forgot something.

Ian, do you know what I forgot?

- Did you forget to empty your bowl?

I forgot to empty the bowl.

I'm sorry.

I keep forgetting to do that.

Okay.

Let me go back here.

All right.

So clearly we can make this ink come alive.

Now.

You're probably wondering, okay, Dr.

Rob, how are you doing that?

Well, this is actually a magnetic magic trick.

I actually have something in there.

That's where it looks really cool.

I think that look part looks really, really, really neat.

So there's actually little pieces of iron that are magnetic in here and let's see if we can draw a picture.

Oh.

- I'm sensing something cute coming.

Aw, isn't that so cute?

I can have a little bigger nose down here and maybe I can have its little eyes coming across like that.

Hey Genesis.

I forgot something.

Genesis do you know what I forgot?

- To empty out your bowl?

- I forgot to empty the bowl.

I'm so sorry.

Gosh, I don't know how I keep forgetting to do that.

Okay.

So clearly this still looks like liquid.

Doesn't it?

Living ink.

And yet, we know we have iron filings in there and if I move a magnet underneath, I've got a really powerful neodymium magnet.

And if I move that around underneath, I can get those iron filings to move around.

It drags the ink with me and mixes really cool pictures.

I forgot to do something.

Ian, guess what I forgot to do.

- Not again.

Did you forget to empty the bowl?

- I, I did, you know what though?

Maybe I should put it back.

I should probably put it back.

Let me, let me just put it back in here.

Cause I think, oh my gosh.

Okay.

That's a problem.

Okay.

Sorry about that.

Maybe I had too much.

I guess I had too much water in there.

Wasn't that amazing you guys?

- Yeah.

- Now some magic tricks we really can't spoil.

Good magician never does.

But if you want to know the answer to this, check out our curiosity guides and you'll understand this great magical science too.

- Ask a friend to place their hand palm down on the table and have them bend their tall finger at the knuckle so it goes under.

While holding that position, ask them to lift and wiggle their thumb, then their pinky, and finally their ring finger.

To their surprise, they won't be able to move their ring finger.

Tendons connect muscle tissue to bone to make the bones move.

But your ring and tall fingers have tendons that connect in the back of your hand.

If the tall finger is bent over, it makes it very difficult to lift the ring finger.

The magic of science!

- Are you curious about careers in science?

Hi, I'm Genesis.

And today I'm here with Melanie Damour.

Melanie, can you tell me where you are and what you do?

- I'm in new Orleans, Louisiana, where I'm a marine archeologist with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management or BOEM.

- What does it mean to be a marine archeologist?

- We study the clues that are left behind to tell us the story of what happened.

Thousands of years of human history is now under water.

- How is STEM incorporated into your job?

- Marine archeology incorporates all four parts of STEM.

For science, we collect, analyze and interpret data.

So second, technology.

We depend on modern technology to help us find sites and record them.

In engineering, we often need special tools designed for a specific project.

Archeologists use math all the time.

Especially geometry.

- After talking with Melanie Damour, I'm ready to dive into marine archeology.

Explore your possibilities!

And now, back to Curious Crew.

(energetic music) - Well, we know there must be a scientific explanation behind these discrepant events.

I was thinking about the soda cans and how Dr.

Rob moved it around and the dents seemed to push back out.

I think this is related to air pressure.

- That's just like when you open a soda can that's been shaken up and it sprays from the increased pressure of the gas.

- I totally agree.

Dr.

Rob used air pressure when he pierced the potato with the straw, and we know that soda's carbonated with carbon dioxide.

You can see gas bubbles when you pour it into the glass.

- Exactly.

So Dr.

Rob must've pressurized the gas when he moved it around and that started taking out the dents - But it didn't really spray when he opened it.

Do you think there was a hole in the can?

- That makes sense.

It'd be easy to dent the can too.

I think the propellor also is making use of air pressure.

The particles must be deflecting off the flaps, making it spin.

- So did you guys have fun with magical science today?

- Yeah.

- Awesome.

We now need to go back and look at these discrepant events.

This refillable soda can, this paper propeller.

Now I know three of you have been really hard at work, trying to make sense of these phenomena, doing some modeling.

And what have you come up with so far on the paper propeller Genesis?

- Well, we think that as you move your hand through the air, there's air resistance pushing against the tissue paper.

So, it's pressed against your finger.

- So it's not really magically stuck to my finger?

Okay.

So how does it rotate then?

- Well, the flaps on the paper make the air particles deflect off at certain angles, causing the paper to begin to spin.

As you keep moving through the air it keeps spinning.

- Excellent.

And if you want to make your own, this is just out of tissue paper and it's just a two inch by four inch piece of paper.

And you'll want to do a little crease all the way around.

But what I have found is if you put one crease, I like to think about it as the top and one side, have that bent up just a little bit more.

It actually deflects the particles better and spins really, really well.

Great thinking you guys.

Okay.

What about this refillable soda can, Ian?

- Well, we think you were able to make the cans look empty by having something dark over the opening and you dented the sides, but the can had soda all along.

We wondered if you maybe put a hole in so that you could make the dents.

- Okay.

So if it was actually full all the time, how do you explain how the tab went from being dark to then suddenly looking like it was unopened?

- We think you just had something covering the tab and then you could take it away.

- That's exactly right.

In fact, I use a little black piece of paper right here.

And if you cut it in the shape of the tab opening, you can slot it right underneath, so it sits right there.

And that what you might not have realized is I put my right hand under the table where I have a wet paper towel and I pressed it.

So my fingers got moist.

And then I could slide my hand across the top and make the little paper stick, and then I can just flick it off on the ground.

So that's one little trick.

So how do we explain what's going on with the dents, then, Audrey?

- We know the can has carbon dioxide gas inside it.

When you move the soda around it pressurizes the gas, which begins to push on the walls of the can and can push some of the dents out.

- Okay.

Great!

So Audrey, does that fully explain that discrepant event then?

- Well, not quite.

Ian mentioned that we think you put a hole in the can beforehand, so you could dent the can, but you must have covered up the hole when you moved the can to build up pressure without it escaping.

- Oh.

Great thinking everybody.

I did, in fact, put a teeny-tiny hole in this can while it was still full.

I used a safety pen and did this over a bowl and then drained out about a third of the fluid.

And in fact, then, when I picked it up, I could put my finger right over that hole and move it around so we could pressurize the gas inside.

Great thinking everybody!

And of course, then I could pour it in here and I'm happy to be able to drink my soda after all.

Now keep in mind, as we know with magic, it's full of illusion and it's going to be challenging our observational skills, but the best part is it's going to make us wonder and start to question and ask scientific wonderings that we then have to try to explain really cool phenomena.

And that is pretty magical.

So remember my friends.

- Stay curious!

- And keep experimenting.

- Get your curiosity guide and see more programs at wkar.org.

- Support for Curious Crew is provided by MSU federal credit union, offering a variety of accounts for children and teens of all ages while teaching lifelong saving habits.

More information is available at www.msufcu.org.

Also by the Consumers Energy Foundation dedicated to ensuring Michigan residents have access to world-class educational resources.

More information is available at ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.

Consumers Energy Foundation, supporting education and building sustainable communities in Michigan's hometowns.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

- That's just like when you open a soda can and it's been shaken up.

I don't think, that's not a word.

- My brain is just like, I'm not gonna cooperate with you.

- Star of the show.

- All right, that was a winner!

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Nice smiles.