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Posted on April 10th 2013
Liquid Nitrogen Bomb!
To round off National Science and Engineering Week 2013, I decided donate my Jack Petchey money to make a Liquid Nitrogen bomb! I couldn't think of a more exciting way to end a great week. So, as the crowds gathered in the academy gym, waiting to see what the Science teachers had been planning, the preparation for the bomb was already under way.
Liquid nitrogen, cooled to 200 degrees below freezing, was poured into a 2 litre plastic bottle and sealed tight. The bottle was then placed inside of a metal dustbin and 3500 Ping-Pong balls (all individually signed by HCACP students) were poured in on top…We waited.
As the nitrogen in the bottle warmed up to room temperature, it boiled, increasing in pressure inside the bottle as the molecules hit the inside of the bottle with increasing frequency and force. Until, after a few minutes, the pressure became too great, the walls of the bottle failed and the immense pressure was explosively released, sending a mass of Ping-Pong balls shooting into the air! Makes you think a bit about the power of what comprises the air around us...
Oliver Murray
Post 16 Student
