Day 286 -- Liquid Nitrogen
I managed to get my hands on some liquid nitrogen last week, and I finally worked up the nerve to do some demonstrations in class. It was SO MUCH FUN.
I didn't think the kids would be as pumped as they were about the whole thing. It was awesome to see them so engaged and give them a chance to SEE what we had been talking about in class.
In addition to freezing the typical objects in liquid nitrogen (a flower, a bouncy ball, a rubber band, a hot dog, a grape), I froze graham crackers and then ate them (weird) and a water balloon (which ends up looking like an egg made out of ice, with liquid water on the inside).
For the pièce de résistance, I took about 1 half liter of liquid nitrogen and placed it inside of a plastic 2 liter bottle. We headed outside, where I capped the two liter, shook it, placed in under a 50 gallon trash barrel...and ran. The rapidly expanding gas (nitrogen boils at -320 degrees Fahrenheit) creates so much pressure so quickly that it blows the two liter to smithereens and lifts the giant trash barrel off of the ground in the process. It allowed us to talk about the different states of matter and the law of conservation of matter all at the same time. I'm SURE that's what they were thinking about as they watched this unfold:
It was pretty exciting.
I was proud of myself for trying something new, because I think it will be something that my students will remember it far better than if I had decided against it and pulled out a worksheet or something else. It messed up my lesson plans, but I think it was worth it.
I am thankful that God gave me the courage to do it. I am thankful for the professor at Albion College, who was willing to loan me a dewar (think mega-thermos) that runs about $2500 so that I could do it. I am thankful for the people at Airgas in Jackson, who offered to fill up the dewar for free.
And, I'm thankful we had the opportunity to have some FUN in class. I'm still, after all, just a chemistry dork at heart. I think you can hear me cheering more than anyone else on the video, and I saw it happen multiple times today.
Thank God for some liquid nitrogen!
Lord, thank you for a good day at school today. Thank you for helping me to pull this demo off. Thank you for the people you placed in my life that made it happen. In your name I pray, Amen.
I didn't think the kids would be as pumped as they were about the whole thing. It was awesome to see them so engaged and give them a chance to SEE what we had been talking about in class.
In addition to freezing the typical objects in liquid nitrogen (a flower, a bouncy ball, a rubber band, a hot dog, a grape), I froze graham crackers and then ate them (weird) and a water balloon (which ends up looking like an egg made out of ice, with liquid water on the inside).
For the pièce de résistance, I took about 1 half liter of liquid nitrogen and placed it inside of a plastic 2 liter bottle. We headed outside, where I capped the two liter, shook it, placed in under a 50 gallon trash barrel...and ran. The rapidly expanding gas (nitrogen boils at -320 degrees Fahrenheit) creates so much pressure so quickly that it blows the two liter to smithereens and lifts the giant trash barrel off of the ground in the process. It allowed us to talk about the different states of matter and the law of conservation of matter all at the same time. I'm SURE that's what they were thinking about as they watched this unfold:
It was pretty exciting.
I was proud of myself for trying something new, because I think it will be something that my students will remember it far better than if I had decided against it and pulled out a worksheet or something else. It messed up my lesson plans, but I think it was worth it.
I am thankful that God gave me the courage to do it. I am thankful for the professor at Albion College, who was willing to loan me a dewar (think mega-thermos) that runs about $2500 so that I could do it. I am thankful for the people at Airgas in Jackson, who offered to fill up the dewar for free.
And, I'm thankful we had the opportunity to have some FUN in class. I'm still, after all, just a chemistry dork at heart. I think you can hear me cheering more than anyone else on the video, and I saw it happen multiple times today.
Thank God for some liquid nitrogen!
Lord, thank you for a good day at school today. Thank you for helping me to pull this demo off. Thank you for the people you placed in my life that made it happen. In your name I pray, Amen.
Comments
way to go, Al. way.to.go.