Experiment: Steady Hand Game

Credits to Children’s Museum of Houston

When you visit a science gallery, one of the fun activities is the steady hand wire loop game. A loop has to go through a wire, twisted in some areas, without touching it. Once the loop touches the wire, it’ll form a closed electric circuit. The electric circuit includes a sound- or light-emitting device that will work as an indication that the person lost.

Here’s a fun experiment presented by the Children’s Museum of Houston. Have your own steady hand wire loop game at home!

What you will need:

10mm LEDs, preferably with 40-50^ointensity angle
3-Volt coin battery
4 2-inch pieces of aluminum tape
36-inch size 14 gauge bare copper wire
24-inch 18 gauge insulated wire (preferably stranded, for better conductivity)
Cereal box
1 Popsicle stick
Needle nose pliers (optional)
Masking tape
Scissors
Glue

What to do:

Cut out the front and back panels of the the cereal box. Glue them together to make a harder board. If you do not want to use a cereal box, a cardboard will work, too.
Get 2 pieces of aluminum tape. Place one on the upper left and the other one of the lower right portion of your board.
Get your bare copper wire. Make about a 1 inch loop on both ends using your needle nose pliers. If you do not have pliers, twisting it with your hands will do.
Get your insulated wire and strip both ends for about an inch. If you are not familiar with stripping, it’s a method wherein you get rid of the rubber part, exposing the bare copper wire.
Create a 1 inch loop on one end of the insulated wire. Secure the loop by twisting the end. Place it on top of the aluminum tape which has the bare copper wire and place another piece of aluminum tape on it.
Create a small loop on the other end of the insulated copper wire. Twist it several times to make it a little bit thick.
Get your Popsicle stick and attach it to the insulated wire using a piece of masking tape. Make sure you do not cover the exposed wire loop.
Attach your loop to the coin battery.
Get your LED bulb. Create a loop on just one wire and attach it on the exposed part of the battery. Secure it using a masking tape.
Create a loop on the exposed wire of the LED bulb. This will be the one that will be hooked to your main board. So whenever the loop touches the wire, it will light, thus, an indication that you have lost the game.