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Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Evaporating liquid nitrogen

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Inflated balloon lays on table
Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Evaporating liquid nitrogen

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  5–6


Can you imagine a liquid that turns into a gas at minus 196 degrees Celsius?

Watch as the Surfing Scientist explores the change in properties of liquid nitrogen as it evaporates in a series of experiments that go 'pop'!


Things to think about

  1. 1.You've seen water change from a liquid to a solid (ice). When water is boiled it changes to a gas (which is clear) then back to liquid water in the air (as steam). What are some differences in the properties of water in these different forms (states)?
  2. 2.Why is the small glass flask of liquid nitrogen frosty on the outside when the storage tank is not? What causes the tight-fitting lid to pop off the green container? What does Ruben tell us happens to liquid nitrogen as it evaporates? What fills the balloon on the flask so much that it bursts? What safety issues should be considered when handling liquid nitrogen?
  3. 3.We see the effects of room temperature on liquid nitrogen. How does Ruben use the experiments to show that liquid nitrogen expands when it evaporates into a gas? Draw and explain your ideas about this to someone else.
  4. 4.How is this experiment similar to what happens when a hot-air balloon is filled? See if you can find four examples of human inventions that work because gases expand when they are warmed.


Acknowledgements

Image credit: 'Liquid nitrogen coke', courtesy Jaime Perez (Flickr).


Production Date: 2008


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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