Education

Water Magic Tricks

Simple Water Science Magic Tricks

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com Guide

Use science to perform some simple water magic tricks. Get water to change colors and forms and to move in mysterious ways.

1. Supercool Water

If you disturb water that has been supercooled, it will suddenly crystallize into ice.

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You can chill water below its freezing point without having it turn into ice. Then, when you are ready, pour the water or shake and watch it crystallize before your eyes!

Supercool Water

You can cause a stream of water to bend by applying an electrical field near the water. How do you do this without electrocuting yourself? Simply run a plastic comb through your hair.

Bending Water Trick

3. Turn Water into Wine or Blood

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This classic water magic trick involves making a glass of "water" appear to change into blood or wine. The color change may be reversed by blowing into the red liquid through a straw.

Turn Water Into Wine or Blood

4. Boil Water in a Paper Bag

You know you can boil water in a pot or a pan. How about in a paper bag? This trick involves boiling water inside of a paper bag, over an open flame!

Learn To Boil Water in a Paper Bag

5. Turn Boiling Water Into Instant Snow

If the temperature is cold enough, you can make snow yourself!

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This water science trick is as easy as throwing boiling water into the air and watching it instantly change into snow. All you need is boiling water and really cold air. This is simple if you have access to an extremely cold winter day. Otherwise, you'll want to find a deep freeze or perhaps the air around liquid nitrogen.

Change Boiling Water Into Snow

6. Fire and Water Magic Trick

Pour water into a shallow dish, light a match in the center of the dish and cover it with a glass.

Anne Helmenstine

Pour water into a plate, place a lit match in the center of the dish and cover the match with a glass. The water will be drawn into the glass, as if by magic.

Do the Fire and Water in a Glass Trick

7. Cloud in a Bottle Trick

You can make your own cloud in a bottle using a bottle, some warm water, and a match.

Anne Helmenstine

You can cause a cloud of water vapor to form inside a plastic bottle - like magic! Smoke particles serve as nuclei on which the water can condense.

Make a Cloud in a Bottle

8. Water and Pepper Magic Trick

All you need is water, pepper, and a drop of detergent to perform the pepper trick.

Anne Helmenstine

Sprinkle pepper onto a dish of water. The pepper will spread out evenly across the surface of the water. Dip your finger into the dish. Nothing happens (except your finger gets wet and coated with pepper). Dip your finger in again and watch the pepper scatter away across the water. Magic?

Try the Pepper and Water Science Trick

9. Ketchup Packet Cartesian Diver

Squeezing and releasing the bottle changes the size of the air bubble inside the ketchup packet.

Anne Helmenstine

Place a ketchup packet in water bottle and cause the ketchup packet to rise and fall at your command. This water magic trick is called the Cartesian Diver.

Make Your Own Cartesian Diver

10. Water and Whiskey Trading Places

Can you see the liquids trading places in this image?

Anne Helmenstine

Take a shot glass of water and one of whiskey (or another colored liquid). Place a card over the water to cover it. Flip the water glass so that it is directly over the glass of whiskey. Now, slowly remove a bit of the card so the liquids can interact and watch the water and whiskey swap glasses.

Make Water and Whiskey Trade Places