The Incredible Can Crusher There’s lots of different ways to crush a soda can... email to friend
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There’s lots of different ways to crush a soda can... with your foot, in your hands, on your head. But nothing compares to the fun you’ll have doing the soda can implosion experiment. Just wait until the can goes “POP” and then you’ll see who has nerves of steel.

WARNING: This experiment requires the use of a burner on a stove to heat some water. Children should not perform this experiment without adult supervision (and adults shouldn’t do it either unless a really smart kid is watching over their shoulder!).

Materials

You’ll need a few empty soda cans for this experiment. So, start searching through the trash for those cans or get ready to quench your thirst because it’s time to start emptying those soda cans. In addition to the empty pop cans, you'll need a stove or hot plate, a pair of cooking tongs, gloves and a bowl of cold water.

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Experiment
Video

1. Start by rinsing out the soda cans to remove any leftover soda goo.

2. Fill the bowl with cold water (the colder the better).

3. Add one generous tablespoon of water to the empty soda can (just enough to cover the bottom of the can).

4. Place the can on the burner of the stove while it is in the “OFF” position. It’s time for that adult to turn on the burner to heat the water. Soon you’ll hear the bubbling sound of the water boiling and you’ll see the water vapor rising from the can. Continue heating the can for one more minute.

5. It’s important to think through this next part before you do it. Here’s what should happen: you’re going to use the tongs to lift the can off of the burner, turn it upside down, and plunge the mouth of the can down into the bowl of water. Get a good grip on the can near its bottom with the tongs held so that your hand is in the palm up position. Using one swift motion, lift the can off the burner, turn it upside down, and plunge it into the cold water. Don’t hesitate… just do it!

6. Wow... and you thought that you had nerves of steel. The can literally imploded. How does that work?

7. Don’t just sit there... get back to that stove and do it again! Each time you repeat the experiment, carefully observe what is happening in order to try to figure out how it works.

How does it work?

Let’s start by clearing up the big misconception. That “stuff” coming out of the can when you heat it on the stove is NOT steam. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot see steam. Why? Because steam is a colorless, invisible gas that is 400 degrees F. If you were to accidentally touch steam, you would be faced with severe burns. What is that gas that we see? It’s called water vapor.

Here’s the real scoop on the science of the imploding can: Before heating, the can was filled with water and air. By boiling the water, it changed states from a liquid to a gas. This gas is called water vapor. The water vapor pushed the air that was originally inside the can out into the atmosphere. When the can was turned upside down and placed in the water, the water vapor condensed and turned back into the water. Water molecules in the liquid state are many, many times closer together than molecules in the gas state. All of the water vapor that filled up the inside of the can turned into only a drop or two of liquid, which took up much less space. This small amount of water cannot exert much pressure on the inside walls of the can, so the pressure of the air pushing from the outside of the can is great enough to crush it. The sudden collapsing of an object toward its center is called an implosion. Hey, air pressure is powerful!