3 ms·
I think I saw one of these demonstrations! I recall him mentioning the tiny temperature difference being enough, as liquid nitrogen is a few degrees colder than
by MaxBarraclough 6y ago
I think I saw one of these demonstrations! I recall him mentioning the tiny temperature difference being enough, as liquid nitrogen is a few degrees colder than liquid oxygen. Wasn't sure at the time if he was kidding about his supplier refusing to sell him oxygen; now I know he wasn't.
Assuming I have my memories straight, I must have been about 12 at the time. I had the honour of being handed some candy from his stash [0]. Seemed like a nice gesture. Of course, his next demonstration was some kind of sugar-fuelled pyrotechnics. Evidently, he made a lasting impression.
It seems unfair that chemistry has fire and explosions as such a universal and compelling demonstration. I suppose computer science has graphics.
[0] Of course, this being in England, I was in truth handed sweets, but one makes accommodations for our American cousins.
- michaelmcdonald 6y agoFear not! I am a ~heathen~ American cousin and would have perfectly understood the reference to sweets. Though I can't speak for all my brethren, I would think most could at least infer what you were talking about.
- MaxBarraclough 6y agoAlmost the Queen's English, too. Purists discourage the ending of a sentence with a preposition.
- rootusrootus 6y ago> Of course, this being in England, I was in truth handed sweets, but one makes accommodations for our American cousins. FWIW, even in America, 'sweets' is a pretty common description for candy and other treats made predominantly from sugar (donuts, etc).
- whatshisface 6y agoI've never heard "sweets," so you might want to qualify that with a US region.
- qserasera 6y agoI've heard it pretty much everywhere in the US
- mattkrause 6y agoI think it's more of a category in the US: "I got fat because I ate too many sweets" sounds reasonably American, but "I have two sweets left" sounds more British.