Last Friday (May 25) Vera visited Primaria and brought liquid nitrogen, which is as cold as Uranus or Neptune. Pluto might warm up close to liquid nitrogen temperatures during its summer, but in its fall it gets a lot colder and nitrogen is thought to freeze out of its atmosphere onto its surface. Fun stuff you can do with LN2 includes: (1) freezing a banana hard enough to use it as a hammer and pound a nail into a piece of wood; (2) make a balloon completely flaccid as the air inside cools...blow on it to warm it up and it pops back into its normal state; (3) freeze a racquetball and watch it shatter when thrown on the ground; (4) make ice cream instantly (Vera didn't do that one); (5) freeze a flower and see how it shatters when frozen; (6) freeze anything the kids suggest. Vera also related it to the infrared camera I showed the kids earlier this year. What color would LN2 appear on an infrared camera?
This is also a great demo for elementary (and older) kids, although we haven't done it there yet. Keep in mind, it is a demo, not a hands-on activity, although you can definitely involve the kids in thinking of what to freeze next and making predictions for what will happen,
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