Magentic Sand TimerC012878
by Mr Sci
Curious Minds Did You Know? The tallest sand dune in the world is Duna Federico Kirbus in Argentina and stands at 2,845m above sea level!
A unique egg timer where the sand refuses to lay in a uniform hill, but instead forms strange structures!
Contrary to popular belief, egg timers were originally filled with dust made from ground marble, lead, zinc or even egg shells. Today, they are generally filled with tiny glass beads. This is due to individual sand grains being unequal in size which could slow or speed up the timing process.
In a normal egg timer, the filling forms a flat cone onto whose tip the sand falls from above. The ‘sand’ in this egg timer does the same, until you place it on its wooden stand. Suddenly the sand forms a round hedgehog-like spiny structure. As soon as you lift the egg timer from the stand, the structure dissolves into the well-known cone shape. How is that possible?
The secret lies in the small, but strong neodymium magnet in the stand and in the fact that the sand consists of cast iron granules that are attracted to the magnet.
A brilliant gift set for a young, excited and inquisitive mind. Ideal to foster curiosity and encourage scientific learning on rainy days and a fantastic school holiday activity.