FoxTrot by Bill Amend for March 06, 2022

dreadful

Saw one go by a few weeks back: The project was “How much sawdust can be put into rice crispy cookies before people notice?”

The baking soda and vinegar volcano is always a crowd pleaser.

How about an Auto-slap-me-back-into-reality machine?

Today’s classic Sunday strip we’re missing:

https://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2001/03/04

Go ask the NIH, (National Institute of Health). They seem to have all sorts of hair-brained “science” projects that pay millions of tax-payer dollars for people to do.

Maybe you could do something like, how to be annoying without trying.

My older daughter never cared for science (this was made worse in her freshman year in high school, but I digress…) but still passed. What surprised us was coming in 4th in the annual school science fare in 5th grade!

The problem is that Jason has been in fifth grade for twenty years and used up most of the basic ideas.

Most people in the Lab that I work have Ph.D.s in some branch of science (as do I). Ph.D.s are overrated.

I was confused as to why we had a Sunday strip on Saturday…. This is gonna be a fun day.

Make molecule models with styrofoam balls stuck together with toothpicks

Jason isn’t likely to leave fifth grade any time soon. No point in letting ideas go to waste when you got em now

My dad taught college chemistry, and he built a demonstration on flammability & safety. He had one of those big metal cans potato chips came in long ago when the Earth & I were young, which had a hole in its lid with a cork, a tack soldered to the bottom, and a little metal pipe soldered into the side, with a funnel on the inside & a hose with a squeeze-bulb on the outside.

He’d pour some lycopodium spores in the funnel, stick a candle on the tack & light it, then put the lid on. He would then pour some spores in a petri dish & light them; they would slowly smolder. Then he would turn out the lights & squeeze the bulb.

The cork would pop, releasing enough pressure to assure the can didn’t become shrapnel, there was a huge flash, and the lid would flip 5-6’ in the air.

We loved that one when we were kids!

Jason could always go with a classic; make a neutron gun out of smoke detectors or lantern mantels. It should get the attention of everyone and lead to the evacuation of the gym, the school, or maybe even the whole town.

How about a psychological study of your own family and the dynamics therein?

Do the Walking On Eggshells demo. That one is great.

Sure just call Peter…the No brainer!

Poor Jason can’t escape the cartoon time-loop. No growing up and graduating for him.

Shouldn’t Jason have been put ahead a few grades? I’d think he could sleep through his classes and still ace everything.

Counterpoint: if you had PhD-level ideas, they’d be begging you to enroll in their PhD-level programs to earn your degree

How would Andy know that? She’s never even tried.

Jason: “Peter, help me out!”

Peter: “Sure! The door is over there!”

i waited all week for this?

Waste the idea Jason. One of the projects my middle school science fair was up against resulted in multiple Patents and altered an industry.

Just do the hydrogen and oxygen in a ballon that you blow-up using an electric arc to make it rain in the room. And use the right proportions and it will be a blast!!!

Jason, do something with Fire Walking.

I like the song rocket man