Cabinet of
Small Wonders.

During an ordinary shower, notice whether the curtain moves toward the spray. That can happen even with cool water.

Moving water can move air—and the air can move other things.

After your next warm shower, wipe a small circle on the foggy mirror. Watch whether the patch clouds up again.

Condensation is a cloud-making trick that can happen on glass.

Notice whether static surprises happen more often on dry days. No need to deliberately give yourself a shock.

Sometimes you notice electricity only when stored charge suddenly moves.

Compare how plain water and a little soapy water rinse an already-greasy, unbreakable plate.

Some molecules have two different sides that help unlike materials mingle.

The next time you cook, notice when onion fumes become noticeable: before or after the onion is chopped?

Breaking plant cells can switch on chemical defences.

When making popcorn as usual, notice the unpopped kernels left in the bowl. Not every kernel holds pressure in the right way.

Trapped moisture, pressure and a strong shell turn a seed into a tiny pressure vessel.

Compare the smell of pale toast and golden toast. The aroma changes before the bread is charred.

Cooking doesn't just heat food; it creates new molecules and flavours.

When you next open a chilled fizzy drink, compare its first bubbles with the same drink after it has stood open.

Gases can remain dissolved until the conditions change.

On a clear day, compare the colour high overhead and near the horizon—without looking at the Sun.

Colour depends on what happens to light on its journey to you.

Compare the colour of daylight at midday and in the late afternoon. Look at illuminated surfaces, not directly at the Sun.

The longer path through air changes which colours reach you directly.

From a safe, sheltered viewpoint after rain, notice how the arc relates to the Sun behind you. Never stay outside during thunder.

Some beautiful things are created jointly by nature and your viewpoint.

During ordinary rain, notice whether the earthy scent is stronger near damp ground. No need to stand out in a storm.

Smell often comes from tiny molecules carried through the air.

If convenient, photograph the Moon low and high in the sky at the same zoom, then compare its horizontal width.

What appears bigger to the eye is not always bigger in a measurement.

When you're safely indoors during a storm, notice that light comes before sound. If thunder is audible, remain sheltered.

Different signals travel at different speeds; delays carry information.

If you've ever seen a dried saltwater splash, look for the residue it leaves. Don't taste unknown water.

Water can leave a solution while many dissolved substances stay behind.

After a clear, calm night, notice whether exposed grass is damp even though no rain fell.

Air can deposit water directly onto a cool surface.

Notice whether a word, place or memory brings a melody to mind. You don't have to force the tune to repeat.

The mind can reactivate patterns without a deliberate command.

If a cat pushes something, notice what happened just before and after. Resist assigning an elaborate villain story.

The same action can have different causes in different contexts.

If you happen to hiccup, notice that the noise is sharp and comes from the throat. No need to induce hiccups.

Several small bodily movements can produce one familiar sound.

Notice how yawns spread in some situations but not others. It isn't a test of anyone's character.

A repeatable social effect doesn't automatically reveal an individual's feelings.

Keep the experiment in your imagination—not on a slick pavement. Compare the different surface effects described in the source.

Simple explanations can be useful and still leave out important conditions.

Float a normal ice cube in a glass of water. Notice how part stays above and most of it below the surface.

The arrangement of molecules can determine a material's density.

Next time you see an ordinary soap bubble, watch its shape when it moves away from other surfaces.

Physical systems often settle into shapes that reduce energy.

Place a pencil in a clear glass of water. Change your viewing angle and watch the apparent kink change.

Light can change direction before reaching the eye; perception follows the light.