Sloths aren't dense...

... but Senile and Evil Technician definitely are. But are they more dense than water? or oil? or milk? If Evil Technician tried to drown me in honey, would I float? And does the ethanol Senile Technician adds to her tea stay at the top of the cup? So may questions that science can answer, and so little time.


And time is what you need to make a density tower. It took me a good part of a hour to carefully add the different layers of liquids so they would sit nicely on top of one another. But it looks so cool it was worth it. The liquids I've used are (from bottom to top): honey, UHT milk (stolen from the staff room), washing-up liquid, water (dyed red), vegetable oil, paraffin oil, ethanol (dyed blue).

I was about to try putting the different objects to see where they float/sink, but Evil Technician suggested we put me in! and I'm now hiding in the chemical cupboard until she gives up looking for me... 
...hang on a minute, it sounds as though the coast is clear - wish me luck.

Thermometer fix

Crikey, this heat is unbearable! And Evil Technician and I have been doing just he job to tip those pesky teachers right over the edge - fixing our thermometers. After all, they'd need to use them to measure the soaring temperatures of their labs, so we have to get rid of all those spilt alcohol bubbles, don't we?


And the best way we're discovered of doing this is tapping the part where the split is, repeatedly on the edge of a desk. (Preferably wood, and preferably when someone is trying to teach next door!) This banging vaporizes the alcohol and then it can move freely down to join the bottom reservoir where it belongs. It takes a while and the alcohol bubbles regularly form again halfway down, but keep banging and I promise you they will eventually fall (sending you and your colleagues gradually mad in the process.)

Happy tapping!