This Monday on assembly was the Science Department’s chance to showcase their skills and they decided to do this with liquid nitrogen! First things first, Mr Dickfos reminded the students of the safety requirements when experimenting and to “goggle up, science was about to happen!”.
Mr Window cohosted the crazy festivities happening on stage. Mrs Shapland led the way with her usual passion for all things science by freezing a variety of objects like roses and bananas at the low temperature of negative 196 degrees Celcius. She then picked up a hammer and proceeded to shatter them with great enthusiasm!
Chef Julian Miller was also recruited from the Hospitality Department to show his molecular gastronomical skills by negatively deep-frying honeycomb, mousse, and ice-cream in the liquid nitrogen. A few of the teachers were able to taste-test these beautiful delicacies. The students were able to see what a very angry teacher looks like as the teachers blew cold freezing air out of their noses!
Mrs Shapland tried to condense oxygen gas in a balloon back to liquid oxygen – which is a bright blue coloured liquid. It is also magnetic, and Mrs Shapland tried to use some powerful neodymium magnets to move the liquid oxygen around the balloon.
Chef Julian’s final act was to pour liquid nitrogen across the desk at the front where the Leidenfrost effect could be observed. The little drops of liquid nitrogen skidded across the stage while quickly evaporating into puffs of steam!
Overall, the students seemed enthused and engaged with the demonstrations displaying the quick phase changes that can happen when substances are cooled to extremely low temperatures.
