Author(s): Theodore Gray

SCIENCE

Best-selling author Theodore Gray is back with all-new, spectacular experiments that demonstrate basic principles of chemistry and physics in thrilling, and memorable ways.

For nearly a decade, Theodore Gray has been demonstrating basic principles of chemistry and physics through exciting, sometimes daredevil experiments that he executes, photographs, and writes about for his monthly Popular Science column "Gray Matter."

Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home, But Probably Shouldn't, published by Black Dog in 2009, collected Gray's Popular Science columns, along with hundreds of photographs, many of which were not published with the original columns.

Now comes the second volume of mad-scientist experiments, which includes more dramatic, enlightening, and sometimes daring demonstrations in which Gray dips his hand into molten lead to demonstrate the Leidenfrost effect; crushes a tomato between two small magnets to demonstrate the power of neodymium-iron-boron magnets; and creates trinkets out of solid mercury to demonstrate how the state of matter depends very much on the temperature at which it exists.

Other experiments include:

A foil boat floating on an invisible sea

DIY X-ray photos

A bacon lance that cuts steel

Charging a smart phone with apples and pennies

And dozens more