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Did Chad just give us an excuse to talk about blowing stuff up?!?
Ahem. Here's the version I use. Start with a 250 ml polyethylene squeeze
jet bottle (available from Science Kit & Boreal Labs... no doubt other
places, too). Remove the top and find a cork that fits real snugly in
the top. Then take a couple a long screws; poke small holes on opposite
sides of the bottle, ~in the middle. Twist the screws in so that they're
secure, and maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart.
Now add in 5-10 ml of denatured alcohol (precise amount not important,
you may as well use another squeeze-jet bottle). Put the cork in snug,
and shake well for 20-30 seconds. Wipe off any alcohol that drips out
near the screws. Then place bottle on a table and touch one of the
screws - with the live end of a mini-Tesla coil.
Aside from the fact that anything involving a Tesla Coil = cool, the
electricity arcs from one screw to the other, through the alcohol fumes,
igniting them and launching the cork (usually high enough to hit the
ceiling on most school gyms) with a pop and a flash of blue flame. Yay,
Tesla! IIRC, the coil acts like the alternator (?) in a car and starts
the engine with an electric spark. I think... Rinse the bottle with a
little water to prevent stankiness.
Safety stuff: denatured alcohol is somewhat less hazardous than ethyl
alcohol, but still very flammable. Keep fire extinguisher handy + wear
safety goggles. The cork will really launch, so watch out for heads,
light fixtures etc. And - duh! - don't zap yourself/co-workers/random
people with the coil.
A hand-held tesla coil isn't cheap, but everything in this demo is
reusable (except the alcohol, of which you use a tiny amount) and it
destroys with audiences.
I could be wrong, but I think and exhibit showing an IC engine is found
in Minnesota's way-awesome Experiment Gallery exhibit. (Or was that a
steam engine?)
Jonah Cohen
Outreach & Public Programs Manager
The Children's Museum (formerly The Science Center of Connecticut)
"The internet is not a thing you can just put stuff into, like a truck.
It's a series of tubes."
-Sen. Ted Stevens
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lath Carlson
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Internal Combustion
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
*****
I'm not sure about that one, but I did something similar back when I was
at The Franklin. I took an acrylic or Lexan tube (engine cylinder) and
cut the bottom off of a plastic container that fit inside the tube
(piston). I used a 2.5" tube and left about a 1" skirt on the container.
I cut a mousehole in the bottom of the tube and mounted it to a board.
Then I removed the piezoelectric igniter from a cigarette lighter (spark
plug, and ignition system) and mounted in so the spark wires went
through the mousehole and into the tube. I placed a couple bolts in the
bottom of the tube to keep the cylinder (piston) about 1.5" above the
bottom, the piston skirt should face down. Drill a 1/4" hole in the side
of the cylinder .75"-1" from the bottom. To demonstrate an internal
combustion engine spray Binaca breath freshener or similar into the hole
in the cylinder and then click the igniter. You should get a nice yellow
flame and the piston will shoot up the cylinder. Experiment with
different amounts of spray, or different gases. Make sure not to wet the
cylinder, you want a nice atomized air/fuel mix. Remove the piston
between firings to let the exhaust gas out and fresh air in, or add
intake and exhaust ports to the sides of the cylinder like in a 2 stroke
engine. Have fun, be somewhat careful.
Lath Carlson
Manager of Interactive Technology
Art Guild Inc.
300 Wolf Drive
Thorofare, NJ 08086
Mobile: 215-768-9322
Email: [log in to unmask]
www.artguildinc.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chad Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 12:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Internal Combustion
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
*****
I seem to remember seeing an internal combustion engine demonstration
using water cooler bottles, corks, and ethanol does any body know what I
am talking about? We would like to purchase one or build one if anyone
can direct me to a model.
Thanks
Chad Johnson
Director of Education
The Edgerton Explorit Center
http://www.edgerton.org
1.877.694.4032
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