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If you have a lot of space and do not mind exploding things there is always
the self carving pumpkin experiment. I found it in an NSTA Night of
Chemistry guide. We did this last year at our Halloween Bug Bash last year.
All you need is a 1 Pumpkin, 1-2 rocks of calcium carbide, 2 nails, 1 half
inch deep metal or plastic lid, water, 1 barbeque igniter and some wires.
(BE VERY CAREFUL. THIS EXPERIMENT PRODUCES ACETYLENE GAS).
Carve a pumpkin. Keep all of the pieces that were carved out. Cut the
removed pieces thin, about 1/4 inch or so. Also cut pumpkin lid thin. Place
all of the, now thin, pieces back into the holes in the pumpkin. Drive 2
long nails, at about 45 degree angles, into the back side of the pumpkin so
that they meet in on the inside. Move the tips of these nails just slightly
apart, about 1/8 inch. Dab some superglue on the nails where they contact
the pumpkin. This will help to keep them in during the explosion.
Place the short metal of plastic lid in the bottom of the pumpkin. Attach
wires from the barbeque igniter to the nails, one to each nail. Click the
igniter to be sure you get a spark at the tips of the nails inside the
pumpkin. (We have made an igniter box, from a Radio Shack project box, and
put alligator clips on the end of our wires. It looks like a big red
DESTRUCT button.) Fill the plastic or metal lid with water. Drop 1-2 rocks
of calcium carbide into the water. Put the lid on the pumpkin and have the
crowd count to 30. After 30 seconds click the igniter and KABOOM!! (BE
CAREFUL!! THE PUMPKIN PIECES OFTEN FLY AS FAR AS 30 FEET.) Pieces fly out of
the pumpkin, the lid flies off and it looks like the pumpkin was blown to
bits. Remove the bubbling calcium carbide in water and lid. (USE GLOVES,
THIS MATERIAL IS CAUSTIC)
Now parade the "carved" pumpkin around to the crowed. The face or design
carved in it wows the crowed almost as much as the KABOOM.
Tim Pula
Science Coordinator
Gulf Coast Exploreum
65 Government St.
Mobile, AL 36602
251-208-6858
Join us each month for a new experience in the Ciba Lab.
Visit the Exploreum this fall for:
Football the Exhibit
and this spring for:
"A DAY IN POMPEII"
Visit us on the web at www.exploreum.net for more details.
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chad Johnson
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 8:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fun with Food
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
****************************************************************************
*
I have just been asked to create a program called the "science of hors
d'oeuvres" as a part of a fundraising evening. Does anyone have any really
great food related demonstrations. I am thinking that this will be a spoof
of a cooking show but each demo should only last a few minutes.
Ideas I have already thought of:
1. Exploding a marshmallow for s'mores
2. Liquid Nitrogen ice cream
3. Mentos fountain
4. If I could ever get the exploding Jell-O pudding to work I would do that
too!
Thanks in advance
Chef Chad
Director of Education
The Edgerton Explorit Center
http://www.edgerton.org
1.877.694.4032
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