Applied Science

Here at FP, we do science so you don’t have to!

Experiment 1, Field: Economics.
Can you pay for purchases at the Fred Meyer self-serve checkout only using pennies?
Answer: sort of. I got through $2.00 in pennies (buying a soaker hose, toothpaste and two baking pans) when the attendant asked if I was really going to pay with all those pennies. I indicated that I was. She suggested that I just give her the rolled pennies, since putting them in one at a time would take all day (a good inference, since it was taking quite a while to feed in all those pennies). So she took the rolled pennies and credited them to my purchase. I paid for the rest with paper money. My recommendation is to only buy small things with pennies, and avoid any time when there is a line.

Experiment 2, Field: Physics
Can you make an air conditioner with a fan and some ice?
Answer: yes! I used an Archie McPhee Sumo Fan and a metal mixing bowl filled with ice cubes. I placed one before the other, and turned the fan on. I was immediately more comfortable.