liquid nitrogen

07.24.08
Gray Matter

Flaming Oxygen Drops

In large quantities, pure liquid oxygen is powerful enough to launch rockets. But even a tiny bit packs a wallop too
By Theodore Gray Posted 03.17.2008 at 12:54 pm 0 Comments

Oxygen is a good thing. Oxygen is life. But if it were much more than one fifth of our air, wed be in serious trouble. The other four fifths is nitrogen, an almost completely inert, obstructionist gas whose main effect is to get in the way of the oxygen, especially where flame is involved. For every bit of oxygen a fire consumes, it has to heat up and push away four times as much useless nitrogen. With pure oxygen, that damper is gone, and things that merely smolder in plain air go up like dry tinder. In 1967 three Apollo 1 astronauts died in a raging fire when Velcro lit up in their pure-oxygen pressurized space capsule.

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Smashing Pumpkins With Liquid Nitrogen

By popsci Posted 10.21.2007 at 3:38 pm 0 Comments


 

What do you do with the leftover liquid nitrogen from making instant ice cream? Freeze and smash some vegetables, of course. These water-laden pumpkins worked especially well. —John Mahoney

Smashing

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Beer, Ice Cream, Movies and Video Games

By popsci Posted 10.21.2007 at 11:48 am 0 Comments

PopSci's booth at Maker Faire was a crowd favorite (and we're not just saying that)—mainly because the projects displayed by contributors John Carnett and Theo Gray were both ingenious and superfun.

Want to make ice cream in 30 seconds, using liquid nitrogen? No problem.

How about an automatic beer-making, storing, and pouring machine? You can make one.

Video games your thing? Build a beautiful arcade table for your home.

Think watching movies in the backyard would be fun? We do, too! All the projects definitely struck a chord with the Austin audience. Next year we'll bring some scantily clad punk-rock fire dancers and a bike modded out with LED lights, and we'll be a total shoo-in. —Megan Miller

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Instant Ice Cream With Liquid Nitrogen

By popsci Posted 10.20.2007 at 3:00 pm 0 Comments


   

The PopSci booth is hopping here at Maker Faire Austin. Here's Gray Matter columnist Theo Gray doing a version of his "dry ice cream"—this time by simply pouring liquid nitrogen into a pot of cream and sugar. Who needs an ice cream maker? Mmm mmm good. —John Mahoney

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