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Quarter shrinking


JohnCh

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Ever wonder what would happen if you placed a quarter inside a coil of wire that was hooked up to really, really big capacitors, and then you discharged them very rapidly? Well…

 

http://intellectualventureslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/qs1.jpg

-John

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In my high school biology lab a friend and I decided to do the following experiment: put a small nail in each of the parallel slots of the electrical outlet on our lab desk. Then place a quarter on top to complete the circuit. It blasted the quarter instantly sideways where it bounced around the room at a extremely rapid rate of speed. Somehow, no one was hurt tho it did knock out the electricity in the lab. While it didn't shrink the quarter, it did have that effect on our grades that semester.

 

Why would we do anything so obviously stupid? I still ask myself that question.

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Why would we do anything so obviously stupid? I still ask myself that question.

 

I teach highschool shop. Stupidity at that age can run pretty deep. Thankfully most people grow out of it. Or are killed.

 

;)

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I teach highschool shop. Stupidity at that age can run pretty deep. Thankfully most people grow out of it. Or are killed.

 

I remember shooting test tubes off the wall air line in chem lab ... fun watching them shoot across the lab and shattering against the wall. Only did it three times ...

 

That has to be a shrunken plastic quarter after applying heat ... like those found in the kiddy coin registers at Toys-R-Us ..

 

Rob

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What I like about it is the appearance of the inside of the box. These guys have done this a LOT. It's a case of science being fun, and guys having fun.

 

Sort of like the wierd things that happen right after the guy with the beer in his hand says "hey guys, watch this"

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