Thermodynamics

Zoom image: Bimetallic strips Bimetallic strips will bend one way when heated due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the two metals.

Bimetallic strips

Zoom image: Cryophorus A cryophorus is used to demonstrate freezing by evaporation. The cylindrical section of the cryophorus is immersed into liquid nitrogen. Water inside the spherical bulb section will cool down and eventually freeze due to evaporation.

Cryophorus

Zoom image: Gas laws 2 The pressure inside a sealed metal sphere will increase when the sphere is heated up with a flame torch.

Gas laws 2

Zoom image: Thermoelectric generator One side of the thermoelectric generator is immersed in hot water, and the other in cold water. Due to the Seebeck effect, a small amount of electricity is generated which can be used to drive a fan.

Thermoelectric generator

Zoom image: Cartesian diver The Cartesian diver can be used to demonstrate buoyancy and ideal gas law. The diver is placed inside a plastic bottle, with the right amount of water inside itself to make it barely float. When the bottle is squeezed, the pressure inside the bottle will increase. This will force more water into the diver, and it will sink.

Cartesian diver

Zoom image: Drinking bird The drinking bird is a heat engine that utilizes the temperature difference between the head and the bottom of the bird to do work. Wet the head to start the motion. The head will stay cooler than the bottom due to the evaporation of water.

Drinking bird

Zoom image: Heat switch When the heat switch is cold, the blue lamp will be on. When the metal bar is heated with an air dryer, it will bend slightly to switch on the red lamp.

Heat switch

Zoom image: Tubes of various shapes Tubes of various shapes are filled with colored fluid to demonstrate that the pressure at the bottom of each tube is the same, despite differences in shape.

Tubes of various shapes

Zoom image: Conduction of heat Different thermal conductivities of copper, aluminum, iron, and steel rods can be demonstrated with this demo.

Conduction of heat

Zoom image: Gas laws 1 The gas laws demo can be used to demonstrate the relation between the pressure and temperature of a gas.

Gas laws 1

Zoom image: Magdeburg spheres Magdeburg spheres are a demonstration of atmospheric pressure. When sphere halves are put together and the air inside them is vacuumed out by a vacuum pump, it will be very difficult to separate them.

Magdeburg spheres