16 Cheap Physics Toys & Science Gadgets
The Tippe Top is a spinner that randomly flips upside down a few moments after you spin it. Available in several different materials and colors.
Price: $9
A color-changing mug works the same as mood-rings. The colors change with temperature (thermochromic). So, if you pour a hot beverage into the mug, the mug can change its appearance. There are many different designs for these mugs and you can even customize your own design.
Made by the same company (Playable Art) that makes the wood Helicone. This is the plastic version that also changes from a tree-like shape to a spiral shape by spinning it.
Price: $27
This is a simple spinning sphere that looks mesmerizing to watch.
Price: $15
It may look like the frog is there, but it’s actually just a 3-D Hologram image. The actual toy frog is hidden below and a curved mirror actually creates the illusion. The illusion only works when looking at certain angles, but if set up correctly, looks really trippy. You can create a hologram of any small object that’s around the same size as the frog.
Price: $8
This crystal ball is a desktop decoration and showcases our galaxy. There are many different designs for these types of art pieces and you can also get ones that come with a light-up LED base. Instead of the galaxy, you can also get a version that showcases our solar system.
Price: $20 Galaxy/ $30 Light-Up Galaxy / $20 Solar System
Turn this art piece upside down and watch as the sand slowly trickles down. It is beautiful to watch, however, you must rotate it every few minutes to see it in action. Available in various sizes and colors.
Price: $9
This stainless steel top can spin for over 10 minutes with the right surface and spin strength (Record is 11 minutes and 5 seconds). Even on a regular wood table surface, I was able to get it to spin for over 3 minutes!
Price: $16
Similar to magnetic putty, these magnetic pieces are satisfying to mold and play with. Available in a rainbow chrome color as well.
Price: $16 Magnetic Pebbles / $14 Magnetic Putty
This spinner is only touching the small piece of clear acrylic and is suspended in the air by magnets. You can spin the top and it spins horizontally.
Price: $12
This desktop bird is powered by a glass of water. First, dunk the bird’s felt head in water to wet it. As the water on the felt evaporates, the bird’s head is cooled. The liquid inside the bird is very volatile, meaning it evaporates/condenses very easily. So, that evaporative cooling of the bird’s head is enough to condense some of the vapor inside the bird. This condensation reduces the pressure inside the bird’s head, which sucks up the liquid. Once the liquid has been sucked up enough, the bird becomes top-heavy and falls over, dipping its head back into the water. Now the bird’s felt head is wet again and the process begins all over again. A similar demo but with the heat of your hand is this hand boiler.
Price: $10 Drinking Bird / $11 Hand Boiler
This desktop plasma globe looks like it belongs in the home of a mad scientist and it is really cool to touch with your hands. This particular globe is also sound activated. If you have a fluorescent lightbulb, you can light up a lightbulb wirelessly by putting it near this tesla coil unit.
Price: $20
This is a display bottle of magnetic liquid (FerroFluid) and it comes with the magnet shown. FerroFluid is very satisfying to play with and almost seems alien-like. Although it does not dance to music, this is a much cheaper option than the Dancing FerroFluid, while still giving you the ability to play with FerroFluid.
Price: $25
This CMY Color Cube showcases the resulting color when multiple colors are mixed. Each side shows one color, but change the viewing angle to see how the colors change.
Price: $15
This wine bottle holder appears to defy physics. The chain appears loose but each link is actually welded to the next, making a rigid wine bottle holder that is quite stable with a full wine bottle.
Price: $16
This bird is another amazing display of balance that appears to defy physics. The key is that the wings of the bird stretch far enough forward such that the Center of Gravity of the bird is in line with the display stand. You can also balance this bird on any small surface, like the tip of your finger.
Price: $9
