Science Max

Phil builds a maxxed out Rube Goldberg machine and learns a lot about different kinds of forces. Gravity, potential energy, kinetic energy, chemical, electrical – you name the force, we’ve got it in this episode!

A Trebuchet is a giant, lever-based catapult. Phil uses it to hurl pumpkins! Mechanical advantage and the history of the trebuchet are what’s being tossed your way on this episode, along with a lot of pumpkins, heads up!

Making a maxxed out spinning top is just the start. Phil experiments with the Magnus effect, gyroscopic precession, pushing string and Da Vinci’s perpetual motion wheel.

How do you max out a dome made of gumdrops and toothpicks? Well, how about trying to build one with oranges? Still not good enough? How about pumpkins!? Phil also gets the record in maxxed-out cup stacking, builds a cube of pencils and a self-supporting bridge.

Slime is made of polymers, which are long chains of molecules that explain how many things are made. From plastics, to fabrics to our own DNA, polymers are everywhere. And we have a lot of them contained in a maxxed out tub of slime.

When antacid tablets mix with water, you get a chemical reaction. Phil harnesses this to make several variations on rockets! Plus: Why acids and bases react, how to use chemistry to make light, instant crystals, or pop balloons.

How do you max out an egg drop? With pumpkins, of course! Material science is the focus of this episode: nitinol, ulexite, carbon nanotubes, hagfish slime, aerogel and a great deal of squashed pumpkins.

Phil tries to max-out a boat that propels itself using nothing but water and gravity. We pour over water specifically and fluids in general. Heavy air, fluid sand, Archimedes and the metric system; this episode overflows with science!

Who’d have thought something as simple as a wooden ramp could teach so much about science? Of course, it’s helpful when it’s 2 stories tall. Explore friction with frogs, rice, one detective and two books stuck together!

Building a boat that propels itself with the spring tension of a mousetrap is just the start. How about a long line of rat traps? Propulsion and inertia are powering this episode as Phil explores how to make things - mostly boats - go.

Air is a fluid, just like water. That means you can surf it if you make a tumblewing. Phil explores lots of different methods of flight all while maxxing out the tumblewing.

Diet cola and mints! A fun experiment that’s even more awesome when maxxed out. Air pressure bubbles through this episode, including marshmallows in a vacuum chamber, pulling an egg into a flask and carbonating pickle juice!