Hand Boiler Are you hot or not? Find out with this cool science experiment. email to friend
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Find out if you're "hot" when you experiment with the relationship between temperature and pressure. Just wrap your hand around the bottom bulb and the liquid will go up to the top - not because the kids squeezed the boiler, but because the heat from their hands warms the gas, which pushes the liquid into the top chamber. After a little while, challenge your students to get the liquid back to the bottom of the boiler without turning it over. Works on the same principle as the old Love Meter, common in drugstores and five-and-dimes all over America. Recommended for children ages 8 and up.

Each Hand Boiler measures approximately 15 cm (6 in) tall... and we'll send you one! Please note, design and color may vary.

What's included?

• 1 Hand Boiler in various designs and colors

How does it work?

When the liquid in the bottom bulb is heated with your hand, an increase in temperature creates an increase in pressure which causes the liquid to move up the tube to the top bulb. When enough liquid transfers from the bottom bulb, alcohol vapor is forced up the tube, causing the liquid in the top bulb to appear to "boil."

What does it teach?

In a closed container, as the temperature goes up, so does the pressure. As the temperature increases, the molecules of gas in the container move faster, which increases the pressure. As the pressure increases in one of the chambers, the liquid will be pushed into the other one. Notice how hand temperature varies in different people, and compare your data with others in your group. Then decide who's hot and who's not!

Product FAQ

• What colors do they come in/Can I choose a color?
  
  Single Hand Boiler - We have 4 different colors that we offer, being purple, blue, red, and green. If you call and talk to one of our wonderful customer service representatives they may be able to help you in getting your preference. We will do our best to meet your request, but keep in mind there are no guarantees.
  
  Set of 4 - The set of 4 has all of our colors in it, being red, blue, purple, and green. There is no way to mix and match the arrangements.

• How does this work?
  When the liquid in the bottom bulb is heated with your hand, an increase in temperature creates an increase in pressure, which causes the liquid to move up the tube to the top bulb. When enough liquid transfers from the bottom bulb, alcohol vapor is forced up the tube, causing the liquid in the top bulb to appear to "boil."
• What’s in there?
  Each handboiler has a liquid with a low boiling point.
• Are they fragile?
  Yes, these are fragile. The liquid is contained in a thin glass structure and as we all know, glass is breakable, which leads us to advise using extra precautionary measures when using around young children.

 

Hand Boilers are fragile and flammable