College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
4E20.40 - Balloons, Marshmallows, Shaving Cream & Ivory Foam in a Vacuum
Take a small 7" balloon and blow it up to half volume. Place inside the bell jar and evacuate. The balloon should expand and almost fill the bell jar before it breaks.
Place marshmallows on the marshmallow man wire figure and attach to a small stand. Place in the bell jar and evacuate. The marshmallows will expand to about twice their volume before the expansion stops. However at this point if you allow air back into the bell jar the marshmallow man will go to 1/2 of its original size.
NOTE: THIS DEMO REQUIRES 24 HOURS ADVANCED NOTICE.
Place a handful of shaving cream into a Petri dish and place in a bell jar. Evacuate and the shaving cream should expand to fill the whole bell jar.
NOTE: Shut the pump off before shaving cream is sucked into the system.
- Andrew DePino, Jr., "Peeps", Cream, Heads, and Food Coloring in Vacuum Jar", TPT, Vol. 39, # 1, Jan. 2001, p. 56.
- Michael D. Edmiston, "Boiling, Bubbles, and Pressure", TPT, Vol. 27, # 3, Mar. 1989, p. 136.
- Thomas O, Callaway and Harry D. Downing, "Response", TPT, Vol. 27, # 3, Mar. 1989, p. 136.
- Ken Framme, "More on Marshmallows", TPT, Vol. 26, # 7, Oct. 1988, p. 491.
- G.T. Clayton, T. O. Callaway, H. D. Downing, "Experiments with Disposable Hypodermic Syringes", TPT, Vol. 26, # 1, p. 19, January 1988.
- Paul Hickman. "Boyled Marshmallows Revisited", TPT, Vol. 25, # 7, p. 430, October 1987.
- Tim J. Allen, "Popping Corn in a Vacuum", TPT, Vol. 16, # 3, Mar. 1978, p. 168.
- F- 040: "Boyle Marshmallow/Shave Cream", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.
- 50 Fun Experiments for the Mad Scientist in You, "Ivory Soap Foam", National Geographic Kids, p. 102.
- George M. Hopkins, "Gases", Experimental Science, p. 85.
- Julien Clinton Sprott, Physics Demonstrations, "2.3, Bell Jar", p.72, ISBN 0-299-21580-6.
- Tik L. Liem, "The Balloon in the Jar", Invitations to Science Inquiry - Supplement to 1st and 2nd Ed. p. 25.
Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist. The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose. The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources. Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks. These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage. Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.