Thermodynamics Demos

Click on any link in order to view the demonstration with an instructional video. Additionally, there are procedure/activity plans listed for some of the demonstrations below. If you have an idea for an activity plan, download the demonstration template from the navigation panel, fill it out and email it to Ankit Poudel.

At room temperature, ball can fit through the ring. Heat up the ball with a torch, causing it to expand, and the ball can no longer fit through the ring. CAUTION: Open flame.

At room temperature, the balloon (over the opening of the can) is not inflated. Heat up the can and the balloon will expand. CAUTION: Open flame.

At STP, the water does not boil. Remove air from the flask and the water will start to boil because of the change in pressure inside the flask.

Think piece of metal composed of two different types if metal with two different coefficients of expansion. When heated up, metal with curl one way, and when cooled down, will curl the other way. At room temperature, metal will lay flat. CAUTION: Open flame.

Balloon placed inside plastic vacuum chamber. When air is removed from inside the chamber, the balloon with expand because of the changing pressure. Note this can be done with a blow torch, as shown in the video, or a candle. 

Baton end is lit on fire and is put out with users mouth. Demonstrates the high specific heat of saliva. The lack of oxygen inside the users closed mouth puts the flame out before the user is burned due to the high specific heat of saliva. CAUTION: Risk of serious injury! Burns to mouth and lips may occur if not done correctly!

Hand Boiler has been used to show the thermal expansion of water which is one of the consequences of global warming. 

Heat shielding used on space crafts. Hold dial thermometer to back (white side) if shielding, and heat up the front (black side) and observe that the back does not heat up at all--showing the effectiveness of the heat shielding. CAUTION: Open flame.

Remove the air from the inside of an aluminum can and see that the can will no long be able to support the force due to pressure on the outside of the can, causing it to implode.

When pressure on inside the sphere is the same as on the outside of the sphere, the two halves come apart with ease. Remove the air from the inside and observe the two halves can no longer be pulled apart.

At room temperature, fluid lies as shown in video, heat up one side and observe the fluid move to the other side because the molecules are beat excited on the heated side causing the gas to expand. CAUTION: Open flame.

Mallet is placed in a clear cylinder with no lid. Turn on vacuum pump and notice that the mallet does not rise. Place hand over top of cylinder and see that the mallet rises due to the difference in pressure above and below the mallet.

Gas above the piece of styrofoam is heated causing it to expand, gas then on the bottom is compressed. The compression then in turn causes heating and the gas expands moving the styrofoam back up and the process is repeated until gas inside chamber reaches thermal equilibrium. The subsequent motion of the styrofoam moves a piston attached to a rotating wheel.

Superconductor

Liquid nitrogen can be used with this demo to cool the superconductor and magnet, causing the magnet to levitate via the Meissner Effect. Note this demo has safety concerns! Make sure you are trained to handle liquid nitrogen with proper gloves and goggles.