Do you dare try the infamous Noisy Toys Nose Test? Tens of thousands of people have had their noses tested and most of them are absolutely fine with no long-term adverse effects (despite what you may have heard in the media) so step up and present yours. Bring a friend, or your whole family- we can test you all in a circuit and if you have a carrot or a dog we can test those too.
The Nose Test is a funny and noisy conductivity activity which adults find just as funny as kids. Participants hold on to the robotic arms and then ‘test’ each other’s noses with a gentle squeeze, passing a (very low) current and so producing a variable squeak and a guaranteed smile. This simple interaction can extend from a couple to a family to large groups of 20 or more. It can last for around a minute if a couple of people want a quick activity, or be built into a 15 minute mini-show if a crowd gathers. In this case we build up the dramatic tension and also go a bit deeper into the explanation of basic analogue circuitry.
Despite being a lot of fun, the Nose Test has many educational benefits- it helps our understanding of basic circuitry (and so is used as a starter for all of the Scavengers workshops). It is a very effective hands-on way for people to experiment with the varying electrical resistance of different materials. We can use it to demonstrate analogue control in an electrical system and to simulate various potential faults in electrical items. Did we mention it’s also fun?