Under Pressure
Through crushing a can we explain why the air does not crush us.
St. Paul's Girls' School
Duration: 2:00
Views: 484
Related Experiments
Pressurised Drinks CansPhysics demonstrations don’t come much more classic than the ‘crumpling can,’ and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Water is boiled in a drinks can, which is then (carefully!) inverted into cold water. As the steam condenses the external air pressure forces the sides of the can inwards. Simple.
Believe it or not, this is the first ‘crushing can’ we’ve had on SciCast — we’re delighted to finally have a record of this old classic demonstration.
A very nicely-made film, straight and to the point, with a good clear voice-over and some carefully chosen shots. Good job.
One thought, though — “pounds per square inch”? Really? I’m no longer a spring chicken, sadly, but even I’ve never worked in psi except when pumping up my bike tyres. What’s wrong with SI units?
— Jonathan