Favorite Demonstration: Demonstrating a Thermodynamics Fountain

by: Miodrag Micic and Roger M. Leblanc

Cryogenic materials, mainly liquefied and solidified gases, are probably the most fascinating materials to use for demonstrating chemical reactions to introductory college students. A popular series of articles (Blachley 1997; Coppola et al. 1994; Haub 2001; Hughes and Haworth 1992; Stamm and Franz 1992) has been published presenting very effective and attractive demonstrations using liquefied gases. The authors describe two versions of a straightforward experiment that illustrates the concepts of energy/heat flow and conversion of heat to mechanical work. It uses a water fountain powered by the expansion of liquid nitrogen or dry-ice.

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Type Journal ArticlePub Date 5/1/2002Stock # jcst02_031_07_491Volume 031Issue 07

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