The High Energy Magnet Lab had an open house this weekend, The faculty and staff volunteer a day for the public to come see the fun side of science--pickles turned into light bulbs (a bit smelly), electromagnet cannons shooting metal rings, and the ever popular potato cannon. There was a lot of liquid nitrogen around. For the electromagnetic cannon, cooling the metal rings will decrease the resistance, and they shoot about three times as far. Dip a flower into it, and it freezes solid and smashes into a powder. Pour some into a bowl of cream and sugar and you have instant ice cream.
They also had some Telsa coils there. OK--these were about 3 feet high rather than the 3 stories high that we've seen at the science museum in Boston, but they still throw some pretty impressive sparks. And the ones in Boston don't have reindeer. Electric reindeer--useful for guiding sleds on foggy nights.
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