Re: coffee rant

In article <6r6g47FfqgbhU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Alex W." <ingilt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I saw somthing like this on Mtthbusters. Hydrogen is
actually a much safer fuel than gasoline. When hydrogen
burns, it does not explode, it burns quickly and tends to
rise very rapidly itself being lighter than air. This is
why so many people actually survived the Hindenburg.
Gasoline spreads out and sticks to surfaces then burns for
a relatively long time thus maximizing destruction.

Except -- and this is also from mythbusters -- gasoline is
*very* hard to set on fire in the first place. You can
stand there all day throwing cigar butts into a lake of
high-octane, and nothing will happen. What burns is the
petrol vapour. With a full tank, you can enter your Jag in
an endurance stock car race and it won't explode or turn
into a fireball even once.

Hydrogen, OTOH, requires one spark only.

This, my friends, is the danger of mythbusters. "We made a half assed
attempt to do something vaguely like an experiment and it didn't work,
therefore, we conclude that this thing is impossible" is a lousy example
to set for our children, not to mention the way it confuses otherwise
smart adults.

Science you can do at home:

* Pour 1" of gasoline into a paper cup.
(NOTE: Do this OUTSIDE. IN THE DRIVEWAY. With a good 10' clearance all
around. You'll be ok, but you don't want spillage getting to things
about which you care.)

* Flick matches at it.

* Write and tell us how many matches you were able to get into the cup
that didn't result in your wife running out and telling you you're an
idiot and what the hell are you doing in the driveway, anyway, and do
you have any idea how much gasoline costs?!?! Also how many matches you
managed to extinguish in gasoline.

NOTE: you *can* extinguish a lit match in gasoline, but there's
something of a trick to it, and you're likely to *** it up as you try
to teach yourself the trick. Wear good gloves, safety goggles and have
your hair covered.

(Messed up half my beard yesterday playing with gasoline & matches (we
had a party; don't ask.) I know of what I speak ;)


Btw, hydrogen in balloons (or just loose) is nicely explosive. In a
tank, with a valve and hoses, it's pretty much as safe a fuel as
propane, gasoline or anything else that is properly stored & released.
Nobody has a problem with compressed-natural-gas cars -- hydrogen is
nicer than that.


Science you can do at home if you have access to materials:

* Fill one paper lunch bag with hydrogen & seal.

* Into another paper bag, pour 1 tsp of gasoline, then inflate the
remainder with air & seal.

* Hold a long butane fireplace lighter under each bag in turn.

* After explaining to your wife "it's for science!", write & tell us
which was the bigger "explosion."

--
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