Thermal Expansion Plate

Demo Number	092
Location	Shelf 30
Description	Heating a metal plate with a hole too small for the ball can make the hole large enough for the ball to fit through.
Related Demos	074
Tips	Be careful not to get the sphere stuck in or through the hole! Once the ball is stuck it is difficult to heat the plate enough to extract without also heating the ball so much that it expands too. Using the propane torch (by the red toolbox or shelf 57), heat the aluminum plate for ~1.5 minutes. Once the plate is hot enough, the hole in the center will be large enough to allow the sphere (from the “ball and ring” demo 074) to pass through. The sphere can pass through the hole for ~30 seconds.

Colorado State University