• Question: What is your favourite experiment that you have conducted and why?

    Asked by to Kieren, Rowena, Roy on 20 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Rowena Fletcher-Wood

      Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 20 Mar 2014:

      Ever? Or in research? I’m still VERY fond of any experiments with liquid nitrogen.

      In research during my undergraduate I made superconducting materials and was allowed to test them with a SQUID machine which basically cools them with liquid nitrogen to test the magnetic response. Superconductors work by excluding a magnetic field running through them. A cooler way to do the experiment is to fill a cup with a superconducting sample and liquid nitrogen to cool it to its superconducting temperature and hover a magnet over it. Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1vyB-O5i6E

      A fun experiment I have done with liquid nitrogen for no better reason than fun is making instant ice cream with liquid nitrogen. You whip up cream and sugar and flavours, pour over liquid nitrogen and it evaporates instantly into a big cloud and leaves you with ice cream!
      It melts pretty fast though so you have to INSTANTLY comsume lots of ice cream.

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