Alcohol poured inside a polycarbonate bottle, sealed to contain the vaporizing liquid

[yuiyoshida]

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[forgotmylogin]

1. Shouldn't this be an outside experiment?

They're going to ruin the floor.

I don't get the point other than impressive pyrotechnics; they let alcohol evaporate and then lit it?

Surprise! It burns!

Alcohol usually burns then goes out since what's left after the fumes burn off is pretty much water. The video cuts off. Is the point that the bottle didn't melt and the flame goes out?

[longship]

2. Rocket Equation 101!

Wow! Just wow!

[forgotmylogin]

3. Okay, I checked on reddit.

The point of this experiment is to make the loud "whoosh" of a jet engine.

The bottle is safe for the short time it burns due to being polycarbonate.

I've always loved dipping a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and lighting it like a torch. So long as the dry portion of the stick doesn't touch the flame, it will burn like a blue torch for a moment and then go out.

There is also a bar trick where you dip a twenty dollar bill in some type of alcohol (High proof rum?) and light it on fire. The remaining water after the alcohol fumes burn off protects the bill. (You also need to drop it on a plate so your fingers don't burn.)

[hunter]

4. When I was a science teacher, back in the ditto fluid days, kids loved stuff like this...

... the more fire the better. Overly cautious administrators not so much. I suffered words.



A science teacher at a neighboring school won the prize however... he put a big pile of thermite on the sidelines of the outdoor asphalt basketball courts and made a big hole. He suffered even stronger words.

Science!