What happens when water is heated then cooled? It changes state from liquid to a gas and back again. When water is a liquid it doesn’t take up much space but when it is a gas it takes up a lot of space.
With knowledge, can you figure out WHY the can IMPLODES!
Vocabulary: Implode is the opposite of explode. It means that something crushes in instead of blowing out.
What you need:
A few cans – recycled ones work
A pair of kitchen tongs
Stove
A tub of cold water
What to do:
- Once you have finished the soda in the can, give it a rinse.
- Put in about a tablespoon of tap water.
- Prepare a tub of cold water. Very cold is best.
- Now put the can on the stove *With the help of an adult
- You will soon see water vapour coming out of the can. Let it sit there a minute longer.
- You can practice picking up another can that is not hot with the tongs first so that you don’t drop the hot can and burn someone. Practice picking it up and turning it upside down into the water. Once you have the hang of it…
- Carefully pick up the can with the TONGS and plunge it upside into the cold water.
- Make sure that the whole top portion of the can enters the water at once.
Can crushing science:
When you started the can was filled with air along with a little water was at the bottom. Once heated, the water turned into a gas (water vapor) which takes up more space. That water vapor filled the inside of the can pushing the air out. When you plunged the can into the cold water, the water vapor cooled suddenly and it turned back into water. That water as you know took up much less space than the water vapor. That created a vacuum in the can. Regular atmospheric pressure is quite strong and a thin aluminum cannot withstand it. It imploded under the strain! The sudden collapsing of an object toward its center is called an implosion.