Several ways of showing how extreme cold alters physical
properties; e.g., shattering Tygon tubing, smashing flowers,
driving a nail with a banana, etc...
Various thermometers as props.
A balloon placed in liquid nitrogen shrivels. When removed
from the liquid nitrogen the balloon regains its former size.
After a few minutes of heating, iron is hot but an equal weight
of water is cool, which is shown by dipping fingers into the water
and sprinkling a few drops on the iron, where the water sizzles.
Steam is piped through an aluminium rod whose length increases
as the temperature rises.
Thermal expansion causes a brass blade to oscillate, producing
an audible note.
Pieces of broken Dewar flasks as props.
Liquid nitrogen (or dry ice) is put in a pipe cannon. Gas build-up
will shoot a cork across the lecture hall.
A glass enclosed box has two vertical glass chimneys. A lit candle
is placed beneath one chimney. When smoke is placed at the top
of the other chimney, convection currents pull the smoke through
the box.
Measures the temperature of a black object and a white object
exposed to the same radiation.
A constant volume of gas is placed in different temperature baths
and the resultant pressures noted. The graph can be extrapolated
to absolute zero.
A syringe is connected to a pressure gauge. As the volume of the
syringe is changed, the resultant pressure is noted. If the pressure
is not too far from atmospheric, the pressure volume product is
a constant.
At room temperature, a ball is too large to fit through a ring.
If the ring is heated or the ball is cooled, the ball will fit.
Shows a good heat absorber is a good heat emitter. When a lamp
shines on the radiometer, the rotation is clockwise. When the
radiometer is cooled, the rotation is counterclockwise. A newer
model is double chambered; the vanes in each chamber rotate in
opposite directions.
A working model of an external combustion engine.
The expansion of water as it freezes explodes its container.
Rods of different materials radiate outward. Nails are attached
near the ends of the rods with candle wax. As the apparatus is
heated, the time it takes for the nails to fall off depends on
the conductivity of the rods.
When heated (or cooled) the strip bends.
A beaker containing ice is filled to the brim with water. As the
ice melts, there is no overflow.
The well-known toy which uses evaporation to power the illusion
of perpetual motion.
Sheets of liquid crystals change color in response to changing
temperatures.
A chamber allows heating from above or from the side. The convection
currents are shown by shadow projection.
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