Ideal Gas Thermometer
[M | t++ | —]
Constant volume mercury manometer with helium filled bulb; temperature measured by change of mercury head.
Triple Point of Water
[S/M | t++ | —]
A triple point cell used to define the Kelvin scale such that the triple point of water is exactly 273.16 K.
Thermal Expansion
[M | t | ★★]
Brass ball doesn't fit through brass ring until ring is heated.
[In-Depth Description]
Shrinking Rubber Band
[S | t+ | —]
Unlike most materials, the demonstration shows that rubber contracts when heated.
Heat Capacity
[M | t+ | —]
A hot copper cylinder is placed into a water bath; temperature and mass measurements yield the heat capacity of the copper cylinder.
Supercooling of Water
[S/M | t++ | ★]
Pure water cooled to below 273K without freezing; seeded to spontaneously crystallize.
[In-Depth Description]
Heat of Evaporation (not available)
[ S | t+ | —]
Room temperature freon cools surface below 273K by evaporation.
Dippy Duck
[M | t | —]
Evaporation of water on duck's head cools vapor inside causing low pressure, etc.
[In-Depth Description]
Cloud in a Bottle
[M | t | —]
A 5-gallon bottle containing air and water vapor is slightly pressurized; a sudden release of the pressure cools the vapor, forming a cloud.
Ice Bomb
[M | t+ | —]
Metal sphere encases water; when sphere is placed on dry ice, water freezes and expands, with explosive results.
Change of Volume with State
[M | t+ | ★★]
CO2 and He balloons in liquid nitrogen.
[In-Depth Description]
Sublimination of CO2
[M | t | —]
Solid dry ice turns directly into gaseous state.
Solid, Liquid, Gaseous CO2
[S | t+ | —]
Observation of phase changes with corresponding pressure changes.
PVT Surfaces
[M | t | —]
Three-dimensional plaster model of PVT relationships.
[In-Depth Description]
Boiling/Freezing of Water in a Vacuum
[M | t++ | —]
Room temperature water boils in an evacuated bell jar and then freezes due to rapid surface evaporation.
Boil Water with Ice Water
[M | t+ | —]
Hot water in a sealed flask is plunged into an ice water bath and starts to boil.
BCC to FCC
[M | t+ | ★★★]
The microcystaline structure of a steel wire changes from body-centered-cubic to face-centered-cubic as it is heated to red-hot.
[In-Depth Description]
Critical Opalescence
[S | t +| ★★★]
Binary fluid mixture becomes opalescent when heated up to its critical temperature ... the fluids become miscible above this temperature.
[In-Depth Description]
Contact Us
Mailing Address: Lecture Demonstration Services, Science Center, Rm B-08A, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Campus Location: Science Center B-08A | Tel: (617) 495-5824 | Email: scidemos-at-fas.harvard.edu