Street Science (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Red Hot Nickel Ball - full transcript
Delaney: YOU'RE SPITTING THINGS EVERYWHERE.
THIS IS GETTING TRAUMATIZING.
Delaney: WHEN YOU PLAY WITH
FOOD, STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN.
[ LAUGHS ]
WE'LL FIND OUT HOW COMBUSTIBLE...
Kohler: WHAT IS WRONG WITH
YOU GUYS? THIS IS A CRAZY IDEA.
...CONDUCTIVE... [ GASPS ]
...AND MYSTIFYING IT CAN BE.
[ MUFFLED ] I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
IT'S, LIKE, EVERYWHERE, MAN.
ALL RIGHT, WHO'S HUNGRY?
MY NAME IS KEVIN DELANEY.
I'VE BEEN SHOWING OFF THE
MAGIC OF SCIENCE FOR YEARS,
EVERYWHERE FROM MUSEUMS
TO LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS.
SCIENCE IS ALL AROUND US,
AND I WANT THE WORLD TO SEE IT,
SO I'M COMBINING EVERYDAY ELEMENTS
IN WAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
[ SCREAMING ]
I'VE GOT A TEAM OF EXPERTS
AND HIGH-TECH CAMERAS
THAT WILL REVEAL THE
SCIENCE THAT SURROUNDS US
IN WAYS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
I'M TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS.
THIS IS "STREET SCIENCE."
I'VE DONE A LOT OF
EXPERIMENTS USING EXTREME HOT
AND COLD TEMPERATURES, FIRE, AND DRY ICE.
NOW I WANT TO SEE HOW THESE THINGS REACT
WITH SOMETHING WE ALL
NEED EVERY DAY... FOOD.
THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.
SO, DARREN DYK THINKS I'M
JUST TAKING HIM TO LUNCH.
WHAT I HAVE STASHED IN THE KITCHEN
WILL PUT HIM TO WORK WITH
HIS SLOW-MOTION CAMERA
RIGHT AWAY.
I CONFESS THAT I BROUGHT YOU
HERE WITH AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE.
WELL, WHAT'S THAT?
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH
MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY AT ALL.
I'M ACTUALLY NOT. A LOT OF CHEFS ARE USING
SCIENCE TO KIND OF MANIPULATE INGREDIENTS
AND CREATE NEW FOOD EXPERIENCES
USING CHEMICALS AND EQUIPMENT
AND ALL KINDS OF TECHNIQUES.
THAT SOUNDS TASTY.
WELL, IN THAT SPIRIT, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
I HAVE A PLAN TO FEED SOME FOLKS
SOME REALLY COLD FOOD
AND SEE THEIR REACTION.
FOR THAT, I NEED LIQUID NITROGEN.
THE TEMPERATURE OF LIQUID NITROGEN
IS MINUS-321 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
IN OTHER WORDS, REALLY, REALLY COLD.
AND IT HAS MANY PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS...
CRYOTHERAPY, PRESERVING MEDICAL SAMPLES,
AND DESTROYING THE T-1000 IN
"TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY."
BUT MY FAVORITE USE OF LIQUID NITROGEN IS
IN THE CULINARY INDUSTRY.
HELLO, FRIENDS. HOW ARE YOU ALL?
I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A GIFT
FROM THE KITCHEN FOR YOU.
AND WHEN I SAY GIFT, THAT'S BECAUSE
I CAN'T CHARGE YOU FOR
IT AND I DON'T WORK HER.
SO, I HAVE SOME LIQUID NITROGEN HERE.
HAVE Y'ALL EVER HAD LIQUID NITROGEN BEFORE?
NO, NEVER.
NO. THIS IS VERY COOL.
OKAY. I MEAN, COOL.
SO, IT'S A CRYOGENIC LIQUID.
IT'S VERY, VERY COLD.
IT'S ACTUALLY BOILING.
IT'S BOILING POINT IS AROUND
MINUS-321 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
SO BOILING DOESN'T MEAN HOT.
IT JUST MEANS HIGHEST TEMPERATURE.
Delaney: I'M WEARING EYEWEAR
AND HANDLING IT WITH GLOVES
BECAUSE MINUS-321 DEGREES IS NO JOKE.
AS SOON AS THIS LIQUID
COMES TO ROOM TEMPERATURE,
IT EVAPORATES.
SO I'M SOAKING THIS TO ALL THAT LIQUID
THAT'S HITTING ALL
THOSE LITTLE TINY POCKETS
OF AIR INSIDE OF A CHEESE PUFF.
NOW, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE SAFE TO EAT
A PIECE OF FOOD THAT LOOKED LIKE THIS?
DO YOU THINK IT'S SAFE TO EAT?
I DON'T... [ LAUGHTER ]
THAT WAS AWESOME.
SO, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
THE LIQUID NITROGEN HAS RAPIDLY
COOLED DOWN THE CHEESE PUFF,
AND WHEN IT MEETS THE
WARM MOISTURE IN YOUR MOUTH,
IT CONDENSES INTO TINY DROPLETS OF WATER
AND ICE THAT YOU SEE IN THE AIR AS FOG.
KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE
FOGGY BREATH YOU CREATE
WHEN YOU EXHALE ON A COLD DAY.
AS DARREN'S FLIR CAMERA REVEALS,
THE BLUE AREA INDICATES
THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
YOU PUT SOMETHING IN YOUR MOUTH
THAT'S ABOUT 420 DEGREES COLDER
THAN YOUR NORMAL BODY TEMPERATURE.
[ LAUGHING ]
PRETTY GOOD. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY ONE?
UH... LADIES FIRST.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Delaney: IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT ALL THE LIQUID
HAS EVAPORATED BEFORE FOOD PREPARED
WITH LIQUID NITROGEN IS SERVED.
OTHERWISE EXPOSURE TO THE LIQUID
CAN RESULT IN FROSTBITE, AND IF SWALLOWED,
CAN CAUSE SEVERE INTERNAL DAMAGE
AND EVEN DEATH.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING THIS AT HOME.
[ LAUGHS ] OH, MY GOODNESS.
YOU LOOK INTIMIDATING.
I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO MAKE YOU MAD.
ALL RIGHT, NOW CHEW IT. WE WANT TO CHEW.
DON'T HOLD IT IN YOUR
MOUTH. IT'S REALLY COLD.
SO, THE FASTER YOU
CHEW, THE WARMER IT'LL GET.
THERE YOU GO. AND THEN
BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE.
AND YOU LOOK ANGRY. YOU LOOK LIKE A DRAGON.
OH, MY GOODNESS.
NOW YOU'RE SPITTING THINGS EVERYWHERE.
THIS IS GETTING TRAUMATIZING.
[ LAUGHTER ] THERE YOU GO.
THERE YOU GO.
THAT WAS REALLY COLD.
AWESOME. SWEET.
CHEESE PUFFS ARE THE PERFECT FOOD
TO DIP INTO LIQUID NITROGEN
BECAUSE THEY'RE SO POROUS.
AS SOON AS THE CHEESE PUFFS ARE
TAKEN OUT OF THE LIQUID NITROGEN
AND ARE EXPOSED TO THE WARM AIR,
THE LIQUID NITROGEN
RAPIDLY BOILS OFF THE SNACK,
RESULTING IN AN INSULATING LAYER
OF GAS AROUND THE CHEESE PUFF.
IT'S CRUNCHY.
THAT INSULATING VAPOR
IS ONE REASON WHY LIQUID NITROGEN
IS USED IN THE FREEZING
AND PACKAGING OF FOODS
TO PRESERVE THEM LONGER.
-VERY GOOD, SIR. -THANK YOU.
- THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
- DEFINITELY BE COMING BACK.
-AND AGAIN, DON'T TELL
THE CHEF THAT I WAS HERE.
GETTING OUT OF HERE BEFORE I GET SUED.
TASTY, YEAH.
Delaney: ALL THIS SCIENCE
IS MAKING ME HUNGRY,
SO DARREN AND I ARE GOING TO A LOCAL DINER
THAT SERVES UP EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO EAT
AND EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO USE NEXT...
BANANAS.
SO, DARREN IS ENJOYING SOME FRENCH TOAST.
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH INCREDIBLE.
BUT I JUST HAVE A PLATE OF FRUIT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WEIRD WITH IT.
SO, I HAVE THIS LITTLE GADGET.
CAN BANANAS CONDUCT ELECTRICITY
AND BE USED TO MAKE FRESH NEW MUSIC?
TO FIND OUT, I'M USING ONE
OF MY FAVORITE SCIENCE TOYS,
WHICH CONSISTS OF ALLIGATOR CLIPS,
A MICRO CONTROLLER-POWERED CIRCUIT BOARD,
A BASIC PIANO APP, AND OF COURSE, BANANAS.
YOU THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO
MAKE SOME MUSIC USING BANANAS?
-NICOLE, DO YOU WANT TO TRY? -YES!
-COME ON OVER.
OKAY, YOU GOT TO HOLD THIS
'CAUSE YOU GOT TO CLOSE THE CIRCUIT.
Nicole: OKAY.
NOW, AS... WHAT DO I DO?
GO AHEAD.
[ PIANO CHORD PLAYS ] [ GASPS ]
[ LAUGHTER ]
[ PLAYING CONTINUES ]
Delaney: HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.
YOU PLUG THE CIRCUIT BOARD INTO A COMPUTER,
WHICH THINKS THE CIRCUIT IS A USB KEYBOARD.
WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE
CIRCUIT THROUGH THE BANANAS
OR ANYTHING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE,
THE COMPUTER THINKS A KEY HAS BEEN PRESSED.
PLAY US A SONG FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
[ PLAYS PIANO ]
NOT A PERFECT PIANO,
BUT IT'S A PIANO, PRETTY...
IT'S A BANANA-IO.
Dyk: I LOVE HOW HYPED YOU ARE ON THIS.
A SMALL AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY
FLOWS FROM THE LAPTOP,
OUR POWER SOURCE, TO THE BANANAS.
BANANAS ARE CONDUCTIVE BECAUSE
THEY HAVE A LOT OF WATER IN THEM.
BANANAS ARE ABOUT 74% WATER.
WITH A CIRCUIT CONDUCTING
THROUGH THE BANANAS,
THE PIANO APP READS
THE SIGNAL AS A PIANO KEY.
I'M BEETHOVEN IN ANOTHER LIFE.
EXACTLY, EXACTLY.
WATER CONTAINS IONS,
WHICH ALLOW ELECTRICITY TO MOVE THROUGH IT.
BUT ELECTRICITY MUST
FLOW IN A CIRCULAR PATH.
TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT
BACK TO THE COMPUTER,
THE ELECTRICITY IS CONDUCTED
THROUGH NICOLE'S FINGERS.
-THERE YOU GO. -THERE YOU GO.
-I'M SORRY, I'M JUST GONNA
KEEP DOING THIS ALL DAY.
I'M NOT GONNA WORK ANYMORE. [ LAUGHS ]
SHE'S STARTING HER NEW CAREER.
SO, HERE'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
SINCE BOTH HUMAN BEINGS AND BANANAS
ARE LARGELY MADE OF WATER,
WE'RE BOTH CONDUCTIVE
AND ELECTRICITY CAN PASS RIGHT THROUGH US.
JUST ONE MORE THING THAT HUMANS
AND BANANAS HAVE IN COMMON.
YES. THAT'S SICK.
I BELIEVE THAT WAS IN THE KEY OF VITAMIN C.
IT WAS IN KEY OF... OR VITAMIN K.
VITAMIN K, I GUESS, WOULD BE.
YEAH, YEAH.
THOSE BANANAS TOOK A LOT OF WORK
TO MAKE THEM SPECIAL,
BUT THE EGG IS SO AMAZING,
IT DOESN'T NEED ANY HELP
IN BEING MADE SPECIAL.
THE SHELL OF AN EGG IS STRONG ENOUGH
THAT IT DOESN'T CRACK
FROM THE WEIGHT OF A HAND.
JUST WHAT MAKES THE SHELL SO STRONG?
OUR CHEMIST, ANNE-LISE EMIG,
IS HERE TO HELP US ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
EGG-LAYING ANIMALS HAVE
EVOLVED TO NOT BREAK THE EGGS
THAT THEY SIT ON. Dyk: RIGHT.
SO, THE EGGS GIVE ALL THAT WEIGHT, TOO.
MM-HMM. SO, IT'S THE ARCH
THAT REALLY KIND OF DOES IT.
Delaney: THE ARCH OF AN EGG IS SIMILAR
TO AN ARCHITECTURAL DOME.
WITH NO CORNERS OR ANGLES,
A DOME SUPPORTS THE WEIGHT OF A ROOF
EVENLY SO IT DOESN'T GIVE WAY TO STRESS.
THE EGG IS SHAPED THE SAME WAY,
DISTRIBUTING WEIGHT
EVENLY AND MINIMIZING STRESS.
I CAN SQUEEZE IT THIS
HARD, AND I'M NOT FAKING IT.
Dyk: MM-HMM. AND IT'S NOT GONNA BREAK.
SO, DO YOU GUYS THINK THAT
IF WE HAD A COUPLE OF DOZEN EGGS,
DO YOU THINK ANNE-LISE COULD STAND ON THEM
WITHOUT ANY OF THEM BREAKING?
A COUPLE MIGHT BREAK.
YOU'RE LIKE, "I DON'T THINK SO."
I SAW HOW HARD YOU WERE DOING IT.
ANNE-LISE, YOU WANT TO TRY IT?
YEAH. LET'S DO THIS. ALL RIGHT.
SO, ANNE-LISE IS GONNA
STEP ON THEM AND MAYBE,
MAYBE NOT BREAK ANY OF THEM.
FINGERS CROSSED.
OKAY, I'M GONNA USE YOU
AS A LITTLE BIT OF A BALANCE HERE.
Dyk: ALL RIGHT.
Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS,
AND RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AT A LOCAL DINER
WHERE WE'RE TESTING THE
STRENGTH OF THE MIGHTY EGG.
CAN ANNE-LISE, OUR CHEMIST,
WALK ON TWO DOZEN EGGS
WITHOUT BREAKING A SINGLE ONE?
ALL RIGHT, READY? OKAY. YEP, OKAY.
I'M GONNA TRY AND PUT
A LOT OF WEIGHT ON YOU
AS I'M STEPPING ON HERE FIRST.
OKAY, MADE IT ON, MADE IT ON. OKAY.
Delaney: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.
SO, WHY DOES THIS WORK?
THE SHAPE OF THE EGG'S
ARCH, WHEN ALIGNED VERTICALLY,
IS CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING AROUND
FIVE AND A HALF POUNDS BEFORE CRACKING.
SO A COMPLETELY EVEN WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
OVER TWO DOZEN EGGS SHOULD
HOLD AROUND 132 POUNDS,
WELL OVER ANNE-LISE'S WEIGHT.
THE KEY IS THE EVEN
DISTRIBUTION OF THE WEIGHT.
Delaney: WE MADE IT THROUGH PART ONE.
PART TWO IS ALSO TOUGH. Emig: OKAY.
DARREN.
AND... OH, YES!
BRING THEM UP HERE TO INSPECT.
HEY, GOOD STUFF. SO,
HERE ARE YOUR EGGS BACK.
I THINK THOSE FLIP FLOPS ARE CLEAN,
SO YOU CAN SERVE ALL THOSE IF YOU WANT TO.
THE INCREDIBLE EGG. THE INCREDIBLE ARCH.
Delaney: SO, IT'S WITH A HEALTHY
RESPECT FOR THE MIGHTY EGG
THAT I TAKE ON THIS NEXT CHALLENGE...
TO COOK AN EGG WITHOUT USING A STOVE, FIRE,
OR FUEL,
AND I HAVE A GROUP OF
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP OUT.
WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH
THE PHRASE "IT'S HOT ENOUGH
TO COOK AN EGG OUT HERE ON THE SIDEWALK."
OH, YEAH. GARBAGE.
DON'T DO THAT. THAT'S FILTHY AND GROSS.
BUT WE CAN USE SOLAR ENERGY
TO DO A LOT OF REALLY INTERESTING THINGS,
SO NICK, COME ON OVER HERE.
SO, NICK'S GONNA HELP US JUST TO GET
OUR FEET HOT, SO TO SPEAK.
BEFORE I DO ANYTHING, I THINK EVERYBODY
SHOULD GET THEIR SUNGLASSES ON.
-OKAY. -THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE BRIGHT.
-ALL RIGHT.
Delaney: NORMALLY, YOU'D
LIGHT A MATCH USING FRICTION.
STRIKING A MATCH AGAINST A STRIKING SURFACE
GENERATES HEAT TO IGNITE
A FLAMMABLE COMPOUND
IN THE MATCH HEAD.
HERE, ENGINEER NICK HOUSEHOLDER
USES A LENS TO HARNESS
THE POWER OF THE SUN...
OH, MY GOSH! THAT'S SO COOL!
...AND GET THE TEMPERATURE UP AROUND
350 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
ROUGHLY THE IGNITION
TEMPERATURE OF A MATCH.
ALL FROM A LITTLE PIECE OF PLASTIC.
NICK USES THE SAME
TECHNIQUE TO IGNITE DRY LEAVES
WITHIN SECONDS WITHOUT A MATCH.
WOW. IT'S ALMOST WINTER.
GET OUT OF HERE. THAT IS INSANE.
THE FLIR THERMAL CAMERA SHOWS HEAT
EXCEEDING 400 DEGREES.
Delaney: SO, NOW THAT WE'VE
SEEN THAT WE'RE CAPABLE
OF USING SOLAR ENERGY
TO LIGHT SOME STUFF ON FIRE,
SHALL WE TRY AND COOK SOMETHING?
OH, YEAH. YEAH.
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER LENS.
I'M ON IT. ALL RIGHT.
WHOA.
Delaney: NICK IS USING A FRESNEL LENS,
A LENS COMMONLY USED IN LIGHTHOUSES.
IT CONCENTRATES LIGHT INTO
A SUPER-POWERFUL BEAM...
A BEAM SO POWERFUL IT CAN GUIDE BOATS
20 MILES FROM SHORE.
THIS LENS REVOLUTIONIZED LIGHTHOUSES
BY NEARLY DOUBLING
THE PREVIOUS BEACON VISIBILITY DISTANCE.
THIS INVENTION ALSO MADE
NAVIGATING THE SEAS MUCH SAFER
AND HAS SAVED MANY MARINERS' LIVES,
BUT CAN IT HARNESS
ENOUGH HEAT TO COOK A MEAL?
HERE WE GO, EVERYBODY.
THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA COOK OUR FOOD.
SO, WE HAVE OUR FRESNEL LENS HERE.
WE GOT THIS OUT OF AN
OLD REAR PROJECTION TV.
OH, WOW. CRAZY. OH, WOW.
ALL RIGHT, NICK, YOU READY? YEP.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO CRACK SOME EGGS.
Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING
TO TRY TO COOK BREAKFAST
USING A GIANT LENS INSTEAD OF A STOVE.
Delaney: OOF, THAT'S BRIGHT.
Householder: YEAH. GOT TO BE CAREFUL.
IN ADDITION TO REAR PROJECTION TVs,
FRESNEL LENSES ARE STILL COMMONLY USED
IN THEATER STAGE LIGHTING TODAY.
ALL RIGHT, NICK, YOU READY? YEP.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO CRACK SOME EGGS.
♪♪
[ SKILLET SIZZLING ]
Dyk: THAT LIGHT IS LITERALLY
SO BRIGHT THAT AS FAR STOPPED DOWN
AS I CAN GO WITH MY SUPER
HIGH-END SLOW-MOTION CAMERA,
LIKE, IT'S STILL PEAKING.
IT'S STILL GETTING WAY, WAY
TOO BRIGHT IN THE CENTER
TO BE ABLE TO EVEN SEE DETAILS.
Delaney: OUR FLIR CAM SHOWS
THAT THE SKILLET HEATS UP
TO 400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
IN JUST TWO MINUTES.
THAT'S WITHOUT FUEL OR A STOVE.
JUST OUR GIANT LENS AND
THE POWER OF THE SUN.
YOU GUYS ARE ALL RIGHT
WITH SCRAMBLED, RIGHT?
SURE.
OH, WOW, THEY'RE ACTUALLY COOKING.
[ CHUCKLES ]
THAT'S CRAZY. [ LAUGHS ]
Delaney: SO, HOW DOES
IT GET SO HOT SO FAST?
LENSES WORK BY BENDING,
OR REFRACTING LIGHT BEAMS.
THE FRESNEL LENS HAS CONCENTRIC RINGS
LIKE THE RINGS ON A TREE.
THESE RINGS ARE ACTUALLY THICK RIDGES
ON THE SURFACE OF THE LENS.
EACH RIDGE BENDS THE LIGHT
SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THE ONE BENEATH IT
SO THE LIGHT RAYS FOCUS IN ONE BEAM.
THAT'S CRAZY.
Householder: FRESNEL WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU.
I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF
A FRESNEL LENS BEFORE THIS,
SO TO SEE WHAT IT CAN DO IS
ACTUALLY REALLY CRAZY TO SEE.
Delaney: OUR EGGS ARE
READY IN LESS THAN A MINUTE.
THAT'S AMAZING.
THAT'S LOOKING PRETTY GOOD.
Householder: YEAH, I
THINK IT'S ABOUT READY.
Woman: SMELLS LIKE BREAKFAST.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Delaney: AND NOW FOR MY
FAVORITE PART OF BREAKFAST.
I CALL IT KEVIN'S BACON.
Dyk: FRESNEL LENSES ARE CRAZY, MAN.
LIKE, THEY FOCUS SO MUCH
ENERGY INTO ONE SPOT.
YOU JUST GET IMMENSE AMOUNT OF HEAT.
LIKE, YOU CAN LITERALLY,
LIKE, BLOW UP ROCKS
OR, LIKE, BOTTLES AND
ALL KINDS OF CRAZY STUFF.
BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE OF
THAT, THERE'S COOKING.
BACON'S UP.
ALL RIGHT, WHO'S HUNGRY.
All: ME.
♪♪
Man: TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH,
I THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE
GONNA BE KIND OF RUNNY
AND THE BACON WASN'T GONNA BE DONE WELL,
BUT THAT IS SOME NICE BACON.
[ SKILLET SIZZLING ]
Delaney: SO, WE'RE BASICALLY
JUST USING THE SUNLIGHT
FOCUSED THROUGH THE FRESNEL
LENS TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT
THAT'S HOT ENOUGH TO COOK SOME FOOD.
COOKING ON THE STREET WITH THE FRESNEL LENS
WAS ALMOST CIVILIZED,
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF WE
HEAT FOOD EVEN FASTER?
WITH RED-HOT METAL.
DARREN AND I ARE HEADING TO SEE ONE MAN
WHO CAN HELP US FIND OUT.
HIS NAME IS KEVIN KOHLER,
BUT HE'S KNOWN AS THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST,
AND HIS BACKYARD HAS SEEN A LOT OF SCIENCE.
AND HE HAS BACKUP FROM A FEW
OF HIS BUDDIES IN THE PHYSICS CLUB.
HEY, MAN. HEY, HEY.
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
NOT MUCH. JUST HEATING UP THE NICKEL BALL.
OH, BOY.
NICKEL IS A CHEMICAL ELEMENT
THAT HAS A MELTING POINT
OF 2,651 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
AND IS A CORROSION-RESISTANT METAL.
A RED-HOT NICKEL BALL IS JUST THAT...
A SCORCHING-HOT BALL OF NICKEL.
IT'S GAINED SOME NOTORIETY
RECENTLY ON THE INTERNET
FOR DESTROYING THINGS.
OH, MY GOSH, LOOK AT THIS THING.
WOW. YES.
WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU PLACE SOMETHING THIS HOT,
OVER 1,400 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT, INTO CERTAIN FOODS.
OH, MAN. ARE YOU READY?
YEP. LET'S DO THIS.
FIRST UP... HONEY.
WHOA!
OH! OOH!
[ LAUGHS ]
THAT SMELLS AMAZING. IT SMELLS GREAT.
[ LAUGHTER ]
THERE YOU GO. WOW.
[ CHUCKLES ]
IT'S, LIKE, CLEAN.
I WONDER WHAT THE THERMAL SAYS.
Delaney: AS YOU CAN SEE WITH
OUR FLIR THERMAL IMAGING,
THE NICKEL BALL IS REAL HOT,
WITH TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING
1,400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
AS INDICATED BY THE WHITE AREA.
BUT THE HEAT IS VERY CONTAINED
IN THE CENTER OF THE GLASS BOWL.
WHEN THE NICKEL BALL IS REMOVED,
THE TEMPERATURE CHANGE IS DRASTIC.
DID YOU GET ANYTHING COOL?
I DID GET A COOL LITTLE HIGH-SPEED SHOT
IF YOU GUYS WANT TO CHECK IT OUT.
WANT TO SEE THIS REAL QUICK?
YEAH.
♪♪
THAT'S PRETTY CRAZY LOOKING, MAN.
WHAT THE SLOW MOTION REVEALS
IS THE LEIDENFROST EFFECT.
THAT HAPPENS WHEN THE
LIQUID COMES IN CONTACT
WITH A REALLY HOT MASS
AND IT PRODUCES AN
INSULATING LAYER OF VAPOR,
WHICH YOU CAN SEE IN THE
BUBBLES THAT SURROUND THE BALL.
THE THING THAT I THINK IS REALLY
INTERESTING IS THAT THE HONEY
WAS SO VISCOUS BEFORE
WE PUT THE NICKEL BALL IN,
AND THEN AS SOON AS IT BOILED OFF,
NOW IT'S REALLY, REALLY THIN. SUPER THIN.
AND STARTED TO CRYSTALLIZE ON TOP, TOO.
IF WE JOSTLE THE TABLE A LITTLE BIT,
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THAT LITTLE SKIN.
YEAH. HONEY HAS A HIGH VISCOSITY
BECAUSE OF ITS SUGAR,
AND LIKE ALL SUGAR COMPOUNDS,
IT CARAMELIZES AND EVENTUALLY
BURNS WITH EXTREME HEAT.
THE NICKEL BALL IS SO HOT
IT STARTS TO BOIL THE HONEY,
AND THE HONEY APPEARS THINNER.
WHEN A LIQUID HEATS UP,
ITS MOLECULES MOVE FASTER.
THE ENERGY OF THIS MOVEMENT
IS ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE FORCES
THAT BIND THE MOLECULES TOGETHER,
ALLOWING THE LIQUID TO BECOME MORE FLUID
AND DECREASING ITS VISCOSITY.
WE TRIED THE NICKEL BALL
WITH SOME COMMON SNACKS
LIKE CHEESE AND CANDY,
BUT LET'S SEE IF THIS NEXT
DESSERT TAKES THE CAKE.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU
GUYS? THIS IS A CRAZY IDEA.
Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS,
AND IN THIS CASE, THE BACKYARD.
WE'RE HERE WITH KEVIN
KOHLER, THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST,
WHO'S LETTING US USE HIS
1,400-DEGREE NICKEL BALL
TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF
EXTREME HEAT ON CAKE BATTER.
Kohler: WHAT IS WRONG WITH
YOU GUYS? THIS IS A CRAZY IDEA.
Dyk: YES, IT IS, BUT IT'S
GONNA BE A GOOD IDEA.
WHAT FLAVOR CAKE ARE WE BAKING?
VANILLA.
WILL PROBABLY NOT BE
VANILLA WHEN WE'RE DONE.
AH, THERE WE GO. SOME FIRE.
NICE!
I THINK THIS NICKEL BALL
IS BURNING ALL THE HYDROCARBONS
THAT ARE INSIDE OF THE BATTER.
THE RED-HOT NICKEL BALL
VIRTUALLY EXPLODES IN FIRE
WHEN IT LANDS ON THE CHEESE.
COMPARATIVELY, WHEN IT LANDS ON THE CAKE,
THE CAKE SEEMS TO INSULATE THE HEAT
AND IT STAYS ON FIRE FOR MUCH, MUCH LONGER.
Delaney: YOU GO AHEAD AND TRY THE EDGE.
YEAH.
HMM. SURPRISINGLY LIKE A S'MORE.
YEAH? REALLY?
IT'S ACTUALLY NOT BAD.
TRY THIS WITH, LIKE, JUST A LITTLE BIT
OF THE BATTER AROUND IT.
I'M TRYING TO QUIT.
I'M QUITTING COLD CAKE.
[ LAUGHS ]
WELL, A RED-HOT NICKEL BALL
DOES NOT MAKE A GOOD OVEN.
IT DIDN'T TRANSFER HEAT EVENLY.
TOO MUCH HEAT TOO QUICKLY INTO ONE AREA
IS WHAT HAPPENED. LOTS OF FIRE.
SO I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO STOP WORKING
ON MY NICKEL BALL COOKBOOK.
DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA SELL.
THAT WAS DISGUSTING.
AS A PALATE CLEANSER, I HAVE AN EXPERIMENT
THAT WILL SHED SOME LIGHT
ON THE DIGESTIVE PROCESS
AND TEST AN OLD MISCONCEPTION.
YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE
URBAN LEGEND THAT A PERSON
CAN'T EAT 6 CRACKERS IN 60 SECONDS?
YOU KNOW, I'VE DEFINITELY
HEARD THIS BEFORE,
BUT I THINK I COULD DEFINITELY EAT
6 CRACKERS IN 60 SECONDS.
I THINK YOU DEFINITELY
CANNOT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY?
LET'S PUT THAT TO THE TEST.
ALL RIGHT, HERE'S THE RULE.
YOU CAN ONLY EAT ONE AT A TIME.
NO STACKING THEM UP AND THEN
STUFFING THEM IN YOUR FACE.
THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES. FAIR ENOUGH.
ALL RIGHT, YOU READY? YES, I AM.
THREE, TWO, AND ONE.
♪♪
HMM? MM.
HMM? MM!
MM-HMM.
MM-HMM.
[ CHUCKLES ]
[ GRUNTS ]
[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]
[ MUFFLED ] MM, 60 SECONDS.
TIME'S UP. HOW YOU DOING?
OH. [ SPITS ] YEAH?
THAT'S DISGUSTING. STOP SPITTING ON ME.
[ CHUCKLES ] MONSTER.
I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT
IT. IT'S, LIKE, EVERYWHERE, MAN.
SO, WHY CAN'T DARREN EAT
ALL SIX CRACKERS IN UNDER A MINUTE?
ALL YOUR SALIVA'S GONE
AFTER ABOUT TWO CRACKERS,
SO I ATE TWO CRACKERS AND I'M OKAY, BUT...
EVEN THOUGH OUR SALIVARY
GLANDS PRODUCER AROUND
50 OUNCES OF SALIVA EACH DAY, THAT'S ONLY
.04 OUNCES PER MINUTE,
WHICH GETS ABSORBED
VERY QUICKLY BY THE SALT
AND THE STARCH IN A CRACKER.
THE HUMAN MOUTH IS NO MATCH
FOR SIX CRACKERS IN A MINUTE.
YOU SEEM... NO, MAYBE GO TO THE SINK.
VICTORY.
THIS IS GETTING TRAUMATIZING.
Delaney: WHEN YOU PLAY WITH
FOOD, STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN.
[ LAUGHS ]
WE'LL FIND OUT HOW COMBUSTIBLE...
Kohler: WHAT IS WRONG WITH
YOU GUYS? THIS IS A CRAZY IDEA.
...CONDUCTIVE... [ GASPS ]
...AND MYSTIFYING IT CAN BE.
[ MUFFLED ] I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
IT'S, LIKE, EVERYWHERE, MAN.
ALL RIGHT, WHO'S HUNGRY?
MY NAME IS KEVIN DELANEY.
I'VE BEEN SHOWING OFF THE
MAGIC OF SCIENCE FOR YEARS,
EVERYWHERE FROM MUSEUMS
TO LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS.
SCIENCE IS ALL AROUND US,
AND I WANT THE WORLD TO SEE IT,
SO I'M COMBINING EVERYDAY ELEMENTS
IN WAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
[ SCREAMING ]
I'VE GOT A TEAM OF EXPERTS
AND HIGH-TECH CAMERAS
THAT WILL REVEAL THE
SCIENCE THAT SURROUNDS US
IN WAYS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
I'M TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS.
THIS IS "STREET SCIENCE."
I'VE DONE A LOT OF
EXPERIMENTS USING EXTREME HOT
AND COLD TEMPERATURES, FIRE, AND DRY ICE.
NOW I WANT TO SEE HOW THESE THINGS REACT
WITH SOMETHING WE ALL
NEED EVERY DAY... FOOD.
THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.
SO, DARREN DYK THINKS I'M
JUST TAKING HIM TO LUNCH.
WHAT I HAVE STASHED IN THE KITCHEN
WILL PUT HIM TO WORK WITH
HIS SLOW-MOTION CAMERA
RIGHT AWAY.
I CONFESS THAT I BROUGHT YOU
HERE WITH AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE.
WELL, WHAT'S THAT?
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH
MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY AT ALL.
I'M ACTUALLY NOT. A LOT OF CHEFS ARE USING
SCIENCE TO KIND OF MANIPULATE INGREDIENTS
AND CREATE NEW FOOD EXPERIENCES
USING CHEMICALS AND EQUIPMENT
AND ALL KINDS OF TECHNIQUES.
THAT SOUNDS TASTY.
WELL, IN THAT SPIRIT, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
I HAVE A PLAN TO FEED SOME FOLKS
SOME REALLY COLD FOOD
AND SEE THEIR REACTION.
FOR THAT, I NEED LIQUID NITROGEN.
THE TEMPERATURE OF LIQUID NITROGEN
IS MINUS-321 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
IN OTHER WORDS, REALLY, REALLY COLD.
AND IT HAS MANY PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS...
CRYOTHERAPY, PRESERVING MEDICAL SAMPLES,
AND DESTROYING THE T-1000 IN
"TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY."
BUT MY FAVORITE USE OF LIQUID NITROGEN IS
IN THE CULINARY INDUSTRY.
HELLO, FRIENDS. HOW ARE YOU ALL?
I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A GIFT
FROM THE KITCHEN FOR YOU.
AND WHEN I SAY GIFT, THAT'S BECAUSE
I CAN'T CHARGE YOU FOR
IT AND I DON'T WORK HER.
SO, I HAVE SOME LIQUID NITROGEN HERE.
HAVE Y'ALL EVER HAD LIQUID NITROGEN BEFORE?
NO, NEVER.
NO. THIS IS VERY COOL.
OKAY. I MEAN, COOL.
SO, IT'S A CRYOGENIC LIQUID.
IT'S VERY, VERY COLD.
IT'S ACTUALLY BOILING.
IT'S BOILING POINT IS AROUND
MINUS-321 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
SO BOILING DOESN'T MEAN HOT.
IT JUST MEANS HIGHEST TEMPERATURE.
Delaney: I'M WEARING EYEWEAR
AND HANDLING IT WITH GLOVES
BECAUSE MINUS-321 DEGREES IS NO JOKE.
AS SOON AS THIS LIQUID
COMES TO ROOM TEMPERATURE,
IT EVAPORATES.
SO I'M SOAKING THIS TO ALL THAT LIQUID
THAT'S HITTING ALL
THOSE LITTLE TINY POCKETS
OF AIR INSIDE OF A CHEESE PUFF.
NOW, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE SAFE TO EAT
A PIECE OF FOOD THAT LOOKED LIKE THIS?
DO YOU THINK IT'S SAFE TO EAT?
I DON'T... [ LAUGHTER ]
THAT WAS AWESOME.
SO, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
THE LIQUID NITROGEN HAS RAPIDLY
COOLED DOWN THE CHEESE PUFF,
AND WHEN IT MEETS THE
WARM MOISTURE IN YOUR MOUTH,
IT CONDENSES INTO TINY DROPLETS OF WATER
AND ICE THAT YOU SEE IN THE AIR AS FOG.
KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE
FOGGY BREATH YOU CREATE
WHEN YOU EXHALE ON A COLD DAY.
AS DARREN'S FLIR CAMERA REVEALS,
THE BLUE AREA INDICATES
THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
YOU PUT SOMETHING IN YOUR MOUTH
THAT'S ABOUT 420 DEGREES COLDER
THAN YOUR NORMAL BODY TEMPERATURE.
[ LAUGHING ]
PRETTY GOOD. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY ONE?
UH... LADIES FIRST.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Delaney: IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT ALL THE LIQUID
HAS EVAPORATED BEFORE FOOD PREPARED
WITH LIQUID NITROGEN IS SERVED.
OTHERWISE EXPOSURE TO THE LIQUID
CAN RESULT IN FROSTBITE, AND IF SWALLOWED,
CAN CAUSE SEVERE INTERNAL DAMAGE
AND EVEN DEATH.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING THIS AT HOME.
[ LAUGHS ] OH, MY GOODNESS.
YOU LOOK INTIMIDATING.
I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO MAKE YOU MAD.
ALL RIGHT, NOW CHEW IT. WE WANT TO CHEW.
DON'T HOLD IT IN YOUR
MOUTH. IT'S REALLY COLD.
SO, THE FASTER YOU
CHEW, THE WARMER IT'LL GET.
THERE YOU GO. AND THEN
BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE.
AND YOU LOOK ANGRY. YOU LOOK LIKE A DRAGON.
OH, MY GOODNESS.
NOW YOU'RE SPITTING THINGS EVERYWHERE.
THIS IS GETTING TRAUMATIZING.
[ LAUGHTER ] THERE YOU GO.
THERE YOU GO.
THAT WAS REALLY COLD.
AWESOME. SWEET.
CHEESE PUFFS ARE THE PERFECT FOOD
TO DIP INTO LIQUID NITROGEN
BECAUSE THEY'RE SO POROUS.
AS SOON AS THE CHEESE PUFFS ARE
TAKEN OUT OF THE LIQUID NITROGEN
AND ARE EXPOSED TO THE WARM AIR,
THE LIQUID NITROGEN
RAPIDLY BOILS OFF THE SNACK,
RESULTING IN AN INSULATING LAYER
OF GAS AROUND THE CHEESE PUFF.
IT'S CRUNCHY.
THAT INSULATING VAPOR
IS ONE REASON WHY LIQUID NITROGEN
IS USED IN THE FREEZING
AND PACKAGING OF FOODS
TO PRESERVE THEM LONGER.
-VERY GOOD, SIR. -THANK YOU.
- THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
- DEFINITELY BE COMING BACK.
-AND AGAIN, DON'T TELL
THE CHEF THAT I WAS HERE.
GETTING OUT OF HERE BEFORE I GET SUED.
TASTY, YEAH.
Delaney: ALL THIS SCIENCE
IS MAKING ME HUNGRY,
SO DARREN AND I ARE GOING TO A LOCAL DINER
THAT SERVES UP EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO EAT
AND EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO USE NEXT...
BANANAS.
SO, DARREN IS ENJOYING SOME FRENCH TOAST.
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH INCREDIBLE.
BUT I JUST HAVE A PLATE OF FRUIT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WEIRD WITH IT.
SO, I HAVE THIS LITTLE GADGET.
CAN BANANAS CONDUCT ELECTRICITY
AND BE USED TO MAKE FRESH NEW MUSIC?
TO FIND OUT, I'M USING ONE
OF MY FAVORITE SCIENCE TOYS,
WHICH CONSISTS OF ALLIGATOR CLIPS,
A MICRO CONTROLLER-POWERED CIRCUIT BOARD,
A BASIC PIANO APP, AND OF COURSE, BANANAS.
YOU THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO
MAKE SOME MUSIC USING BANANAS?
-NICOLE, DO YOU WANT TO TRY? -YES!
-COME ON OVER.
OKAY, YOU GOT TO HOLD THIS
'CAUSE YOU GOT TO CLOSE THE CIRCUIT.
Nicole: OKAY.
NOW, AS... WHAT DO I DO?
GO AHEAD.
[ PIANO CHORD PLAYS ] [ GASPS ]
[ LAUGHTER ]
[ PLAYING CONTINUES ]
Delaney: HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.
YOU PLUG THE CIRCUIT BOARD INTO A COMPUTER,
WHICH THINKS THE CIRCUIT IS A USB KEYBOARD.
WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE
CIRCUIT THROUGH THE BANANAS
OR ANYTHING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE,
THE COMPUTER THINKS A KEY HAS BEEN PRESSED.
PLAY US A SONG FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
[ PLAYS PIANO ]
NOT A PERFECT PIANO,
BUT IT'S A PIANO, PRETTY...
IT'S A BANANA-IO.
Dyk: I LOVE HOW HYPED YOU ARE ON THIS.
A SMALL AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY
FLOWS FROM THE LAPTOP,
OUR POWER SOURCE, TO THE BANANAS.
BANANAS ARE CONDUCTIVE BECAUSE
THEY HAVE A LOT OF WATER IN THEM.
BANANAS ARE ABOUT 74% WATER.
WITH A CIRCUIT CONDUCTING
THROUGH THE BANANAS,
THE PIANO APP READS
THE SIGNAL AS A PIANO KEY.
I'M BEETHOVEN IN ANOTHER LIFE.
EXACTLY, EXACTLY.
WATER CONTAINS IONS,
WHICH ALLOW ELECTRICITY TO MOVE THROUGH IT.
BUT ELECTRICITY MUST
FLOW IN A CIRCULAR PATH.
TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT
BACK TO THE COMPUTER,
THE ELECTRICITY IS CONDUCTED
THROUGH NICOLE'S FINGERS.
-THERE YOU GO. -THERE YOU GO.
-I'M SORRY, I'M JUST GONNA
KEEP DOING THIS ALL DAY.
I'M NOT GONNA WORK ANYMORE. [ LAUGHS ]
SHE'S STARTING HER NEW CAREER.
SO, HERE'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
SINCE BOTH HUMAN BEINGS AND BANANAS
ARE LARGELY MADE OF WATER,
WE'RE BOTH CONDUCTIVE
AND ELECTRICITY CAN PASS RIGHT THROUGH US.
JUST ONE MORE THING THAT HUMANS
AND BANANAS HAVE IN COMMON.
YES. THAT'S SICK.
I BELIEVE THAT WAS IN THE KEY OF VITAMIN C.
IT WAS IN KEY OF... OR VITAMIN K.
VITAMIN K, I GUESS, WOULD BE.
YEAH, YEAH.
THOSE BANANAS TOOK A LOT OF WORK
TO MAKE THEM SPECIAL,
BUT THE EGG IS SO AMAZING,
IT DOESN'T NEED ANY HELP
IN BEING MADE SPECIAL.
THE SHELL OF AN EGG IS STRONG ENOUGH
THAT IT DOESN'T CRACK
FROM THE WEIGHT OF A HAND.
JUST WHAT MAKES THE SHELL SO STRONG?
OUR CHEMIST, ANNE-LISE EMIG,
IS HERE TO HELP US ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
EGG-LAYING ANIMALS HAVE
EVOLVED TO NOT BREAK THE EGGS
THAT THEY SIT ON. Dyk: RIGHT.
SO, THE EGGS GIVE ALL THAT WEIGHT, TOO.
MM-HMM. SO, IT'S THE ARCH
THAT REALLY KIND OF DOES IT.
Delaney: THE ARCH OF AN EGG IS SIMILAR
TO AN ARCHITECTURAL DOME.
WITH NO CORNERS OR ANGLES,
A DOME SUPPORTS THE WEIGHT OF A ROOF
EVENLY SO IT DOESN'T GIVE WAY TO STRESS.
THE EGG IS SHAPED THE SAME WAY,
DISTRIBUTING WEIGHT
EVENLY AND MINIMIZING STRESS.
I CAN SQUEEZE IT THIS
HARD, AND I'M NOT FAKING IT.
Dyk: MM-HMM. AND IT'S NOT GONNA BREAK.
SO, DO YOU GUYS THINK THAT
IF WE HAD A COUPLE OF DOZEN EGGS,
DO YOU THINK ANNE-LISE COULD STAND ON THEM
WITHOUT ANY OF THEM BREAKING?
A COUPLE MIGHT BREAK.
YOU'RE LIKE, "I DON'T THINK SO."
I SAW HOW HARD YOU WERE DOING IT.
ANNE-LISE, YOU WANT TO TRY IT?
YEAH. LET'S DO THIS. ALL RIGHT.
SO, ANNE-LISE IS GONNA
STEP ON THEM AND MAYBE,
MAYBE NOT BREAK ANY OF THEM.
FINGERS CROSSED.
OKAY, I'M GONNA USE YOU
AS A LITTLE BIT OF A BALANCE HERE.
Dyk: ALL RIGHT.
Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS,
AND RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AT A LOCAL DINER
WHERE WE'RE TESTING THE
STRENGTH OF THE MIGHTY EGG.
CAN ANNE-LISE, OUR CHEMIST,
WALK ON TWO DOZEN EGGS
WITHOUT BREAKING A SINGLE ONE?
ALL RIGHT, READY? OKAY. YEP, OKAY.
I'M GONNA TRY AND PUT
A LOT OF WEIGHT ON YOU
AS I'M STEPPING ON HERE FIRST.
OKAY, MADE IT ON, MADE IT ON. OKAY.
Delaney: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.
SO, WHY DOES THIS WORK?
THE SHAPE OF THE EGG'S
ARCH, WHEN ALIGNED VERTICALLY,
IS CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING AROUND
FIVE AND A HALF POUNDS BEFORE CRACKING.
SO A COMPLETELY EVEN WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
OVER TWO DOZEN EGGS SHOULD
HOLD AROUND 132 POUNDS,
WELL OVER ANNE-LISE'S WEIGHT.
THE KEY IS THE EVEN
DISTRIBUTION OF THE WEIGHT.
Delaney: WE MADE IT THROUGH PART ONE.
PART TWO IS ALSO TOUGH. Emig: OKAY.
DARREN.
AND... OH, YES!
BRING THEM UP HERE TO INSPECT.
HEY, GOOD STUFF. SO,
HERE ARE YOUR EGGS BACK.
I THINK THOSE FLIP FLOPS ARE CLEAN,
SO YOU CAN SERVE ALL THOSE IF YOU WANT TO.
THE INCREDIBLE EGG. THE INCREDIBLE ARCH.
Delaney: SO, IT'S WITH A HEALTHY
RESPECT FOR THE MIGHTY EGG
THAT I TAKE ON THIS NEXT CHALLENGE...
TO COOK AN EGG WITHOUT USING A STOVE, FIRE,
OR FUEL,
AND I HAVE A GROUP OF
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP OUT.
WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH
THE PHRASE "IT'S HOT ENOUGH
TO COOK AN EGG OUT HERE ON THE SIDEWALK."
OH, YEAH. GARBAGE.
DON'T DO THAT. THAT'S FILTHY AND GROSS.
BUT WE CAN USE SOLAR ENERGY
TO DO A LOT OF REALLY INTERESTING THINGS,
SO NICK, COME ON OVER HERE.
SO, NICK'S GONNA HELP US JUST TO GET
OUR FEET HOT, SO TO SPEAK.
BEFORE I DO ANYTHING, I THINK EVERYBODY
SHOULD GET THEIR SUNGLASSES ON.
-OKAY. -THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE BRIGHT.
-ALL RIGHT.
Delaney: NORMALLY, YOU'D
LIGHT A MATCH USING FRICTION.
STRIKING A MATCH AGAINST A STRIKING SURFACE
GENERATES HEAT TO IGNITE
A FLAMMABLE COMPOUND
IN THE MATCH HEAD.
HERE, ENGINEER NICK HOUSEHOLDER
USES A LENS TO HARNESS
THE POWER OF THE SUN...
OH, MY GOSH! THAT'S SO COOL!
...AND GET THE TEMPERATURE UP AROUND
350 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
ROUGHLY THE IGNITION
TEMPERATURE OF A MATCH.
ALL FROM A LITTLE PIECE OF PLASTIC.
NICK USES THE SAME
TECHNIQUE TO IGNITE DRY LEAVES
WITHIN SECONDS WITHOUT A MATCH.
WOW. IT'S ALMOST WINTER.
GET OUT OF HERE. THAT IS INSANE.
THE FLIR THERMAL CAMERA SHOWS HEAT
EXCEEDING 400 DEGREES.
Delaney: SO, NOW THAT WE'VE
SEEN THAT WE'RE CAPABLE
OF USING SOLAR ENERGY
TO LIGHT SOME STUFF ON FIRE,
SHALL WE TRY AND COOK SOMETHING?
OH, YEAH. YEAH.
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER LENS.
I'M ON IT. ALL RIGHT.
WHOA.
Delaney: NICK IS USING A FRESNEL LENS,
A LENS COMMONLY USED IN LIGHTHOUSES.
IT CONCENTRATES LIGHT INTO
A SUPER-POWERFUL BEAM...
A BEAM SO POWERFUL IT CAN GUIDE BOATS
20 MILES FROM SHORE.
THIS LENS REVOLUTIONIZED LIGHTHOUSES
BY NEARLY DOUBLING
THE PREVIOUS BEACON VISIBILITY DISTANCE.
THIS INVENTION ALSO MADE
NAVIGATING THE SEAS MUCH SAFER
AND HAS SAVED MANY MARINERS' LIVES,
BUT CAN IT HARNESS
ENOUGH HEAT TO COOK A MEAL?
HERE WE GO, EVERYBODY.
THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA COOK OUR FOOD.
SO, WE HAVE OUR FRESNEL LENS HERE.
WE GOT THIS OUT OF AN
OLD REAR PROJECTION TV.
OH, WOW. CRAZY. OH, WOW.
ALL RIGHT, NICK, YOU READY? YEP.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO CRACK SOME EGGS.
Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING
TO TRY TO COOK BREAKFAST
USING A GIANT LENS INSTEAD OF A STOVE.
Delaney: OOF, THAT'S BRIGHT.
Householder: YEAH. GOT TO BE CAREFUL.
IN ADDITION TO REAR PROJECTION TVs,
FRESNEL LENSES ARE STILL COMMONLY USED
IN THEATER STAGE LIGHTING TODAY.
ALL RIGHT, NICK, YOU READY? YEP.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO CRACK SOME EGGS.
♪♪
[ SKILLET SIZZLING ]
Dyk: THAT LIGHT IS LITERALLY
SO BRIGHT THAT AS FAR STOPPED DOWN
AS I CAN GO WITH MY SUPER
HIGH-END SLOW-MOTION CAMERA,
LIKE, IT'S STILL PEAKING.
IT'S STILL GETTING WAY, WAY
TOO BRIGHT IN THE CENTER
TO BE ABLE TO EVEN SEE DETAILS.
Delaney: OUR FLIR CAM SHOWS
THAT THE SKILLET HEATS UP
TO 400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
IN JUST TWO MINUTES.
THAT'S WITHOUT FUEL OR A STOVE.
JUST OUR GIANT LENS AND
THE POWER OF THE SUN.
YOU GUYS ARE ALL RIGHT
WITH SCRAMBLED, RIGHT?
SURE.
OH, WOW, THEY'RE ACTUALLY COOKING.
[ CHUCKLES ]
THAT'S CRAZY. [ LAUGHS ]
Delaney: SO, HOW DOES
IT GET SO HOT SO FAST?
LENSES WORK BY BENDING,
OR REFRACTING LIGHT BEAMS.
THE FRESNEL LENS HAS CONCENTRIC RINGS
LIKE THE RINGS ON A TREE.
THESE RINGS ARE ACTUALLY THICK RIDGES
ON THE SURFACE OF THE LENS.
EACH RIDGE BENDS THE LIGHT
SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THE ONE BENEATH IT
SO THE LIGHT RAYS FOCUS IN ONE BEAM.
THAT'S CRAZY.
Householder: FRESNEL WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU.
I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF
A FRESNEL LENS BEFORE THIS,
SO TO SEE WHAT IT CAN DO IS
ACTUALLY REALLY CRAZY TO SEE.
Delaney: OUR EGGS ARE
READY IN LESS THAN A MINUTE.
THAT'S AMAZING.
THAT'S LOOKING PRETTY GOOD.
Householder: YEAH, I
THINK IT'S ABOUT READY.
Woman: SMELLS LIKE BREAKFAST.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Delaney: AND NOW FOR MY
FAVORITE PART OF BREAKFAST.
I CALL IT KEVIN'S BACON.
Dyk: FRESNEL LENSES ARE CRAZY, MAN.
LIKE, THEY FOCUS SO MUCH
ENERGY INTO ONE SPOT.
YOU JUST GET IMMENSE AMOUNT OF HEAT.
LIKE, YOU CAN LITERALLY,
LIKE, BLOW UP ROCKS
OR, LIKE, BOTTLES AND
ALL KINDS OF CRAZY STUFF.
BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE OF
THAT, THERE'S COOKING.
BACON'S UP.
ALL RIGHT, WHO'S HUNGRY.
All: ME.
♪♪
Man: TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH,
I THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE
GONNA BE KIND OF RUNNY
AND THE BACON WASN'T GONNA BE DONE WELL,
BUT THAT IS SOME NICE BACON.
[ SKILLET SIZZLING ]
Delaney: SO, WE'RE BASICALLY
JUST USING THE SUNLIGHT
FOCUSED THROUGH THE FRESNEL
LENS TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT
THAT'S HOT ENOUGH TO COOK SOME FOOD.
COOKING ON THE STREET WITH THE FRESNEL LENS
WAS ALMOST CIVILIZED,
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF WE
HEAT FOOD EVEN FASTER?
WITH RED-HOT METAL.
DARREN AND I ARE HEADING TO SEE ONE MAN
WHO CAN HELP US FIND OUT.
HIS NAME IS KEVIN KOHLER,
BUT HE'S KNOWN AS THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST,
AND HIS BACKYARD HAS SEEN A LOT OF SCIENCE.
AND HE HAS BACKUP FROM A FEW
OF HIS BUDDIES IN THE PHYSICS CLUB.
HEY, MAN. HEY, HEY.
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
NOT MUCH. JUST HEATING UP THE NICKEL BALL.
OH, BOY.
NICKEL IS A CHEMICAL ELEMENT
THAT HAS A MELTING POINT
OF 2,651 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
AND IS A CORROSION-RESISTANT METAL.
A RED-HOT NICKEL BALL IS JUST THAT...
A SCORCHING-HOT BALL OF NICKEL.
IT'S GAINED SOME NOTORIETY
RECENTLY ON THE INTERNET
FOR DESTROYING THINGS.
OH, MY GOSH, LOOK AT THIS THING.
WOW. YES.
WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU PLACE SOMETHING THIS HOT,
OVER 1,400 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT, INTO CERTAIN FOODS.
OH, MAN. ARE YOU READY?
YEP. LET'S DO THIS.
FIRST UP... HONEY.
WHOA!
OH! OOH!
[ LAUGHS ]
THAT SMELLS AMAZING. IT SMELLS GREAT.
[ LAUGHTER ]
THERE YOU GO. WOW.
[ CHUCKLES ]
IT'S, LIKE, CLEAN.
I WONDER WHAT THE THERMAL SAYS.
Delaney: AS YOU CAN SEE WITH
OUR FLIR THERMAL IMAGING,
THE NICKEL BALL IS REAL HOT,
WITH TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING
1,400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
AS INDICATED BY THE WHITE AREA.
BUT THE HEAT IS VERY CONTAINED
IN THE CENTER OF THE GLASS BOWL.
WHEN THE NICKEL BALL IS REMOVED,
THE TEMPERATURE CHANGE IS DRASTIC.
DID YOU GET ANYTHING COOL?
I DID GET A COOL LITTLE HIGH-SPEED SHOT
IF YOU GUYS WANT TO CHECK IT OUT.
WANT TO SEE THIS REAL QUICK?
YEAH.
♪♪
THAT'S PRETTY CRAZY LOOKING, MAN.
WHAT THE SLOW MOTION REVEALS
IS THE LEIDENFROST EFFECT.
THAT HAPPENS WHEN THE
LIQUID COMES IN CONTACT
WITH A REALLY HOT MASS
AND IT PRODUCES AN
INSULATING LAYER OF VAPOR,
WHICH YOU CAN SEE IN THE
BUBBLES THAT SURROUND THE BALL.
THE THING THAT I THINK IS REALLY
INTERESTING IS THAT THE HONEY
WAS SO VISCOUS BEFORE
WE PUT THE NICKEL BALL IN,
AND THEN AS SOON AS IT BOILED OFF,
NOW IT'S REALLY, REALLY THIN. SUPER THIN.
AND STARTED TO CRYSTALLIZE ON TOP, TOO.
IF WE JOSTLE THE TABLE A LITTLE BIT,
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THAT LITTLE SKIN.
YEAH. HONEY HAS A HIGH VISCOSITY
BECAUSE OF ITS SUGAR,
AND LIKE ALL SUGAR COMPOUNDS,
IT CARAMELIZES AND EVENTUALLY
BURNS WITH EXTREME HEAT.
THE NICKEL BALL IS SO HOT
IT STARTS TO BOIL THE HONEY,
AND THE HONEY APPEARS THINNER.
WHEN A LIQUID HEATS UP,
ITS MOLECULES MOVE FASTER.
THE ENERGY OF THIS MOVEMENT
IS ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE FORCES
THAT BIND THE MOLECULES TOGETHER,
ALLOWING THE LIQUID TO BECOME MORE FLUID
AND DECREASING ITS VISCOSITY.
WE TRIED THE NICKEL BALL
WITH SOME COMMON SNACKS
LIKE CHEESE AND CANDY,
BUT LET'S SEE IF THIS NEXT
DESSERT TAKES THE CAKE.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU
GUYS? THIS IS A CRAZY IDEA.
Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS,
AND IN THIS CASE, THE BACKYARD.
WE'RE HERE WITH KEVIN
KOHLER, THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST,
WHO'S LETTING US USE HIS
1,400-DEGREE NICKEL BALL
TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF
EXTREME HEAT ON CAKE BATTER.
Kohler: WHAT IS WRONG WITH
YOU GUYS? THIS IS A CRAZY IDEA.
Dyk: YES, IT IS, BUT IT'S
GONNA BE A GOOD IDEA.
WHAT FLAVOR CAKE ARE WE BAKING?
VANILLA.
WILL PROBABLY NOT BE
VANILLA WHEN WE'RE DONE.
AH, THERE WE GO. SOME FIRE.
NICE!
I THINK THIS NICKEL BALL
IS BURNING ALL THE HYDROCARBONS
THAT ARE INSIDE OF THE BATTER.
THE RED-HOT NICKEL BALL
VIRTUALLY EXPLODES IN FIRE
WHEN IT LANDS ON THE CHEESE.
COMPARATIVELY, WHEN IT LANDS ON THE CAKE,
THE CAKE SEEMS TO INSULATE THE HEAT
AND IT STAYS ON FIRE FOR MUCH, MUCH LONGER.
Delaney: YOU GO AHEAD AND TRY THE EDGE.
YEAH.
HMM. SURPRISINGLY LIKE A S'MORE.
YEAH? REALLY?
IT'S ACTUALLY NOT BAD.
TRY THIS WITH, LIKE, JUST A LITTLE BIT
OF THE BATTER AROUND IT.
I'M TRYING TO QUIT.
I'M QUITTING COLD CAKE.
[ LAUGHS ]
WELL, A RED-HOT NICKEL BALL
DOES NOT MAKE A GOOD OVEN.
IT DIDN'T TRANSFER HEAT EVENLY.
TOO MUCH HEAT TOO QUICKLY INTO ONE AREA
IS WHAT HAPPENED. LOTS OF FIRE.
SO I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO STOP WORKING
ON MY NICKEL BALL COOKBOOK.
DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA SELL.
THAT WAS DISGUSTING.
AS A PALATE CLEANSER, I HAVE AN EXPERIMENT
THAT WILL SHED SOME LIGHT
ON THE DIGESTIVE PROCESS
AND TEST AN OLD MISCONCEPTION.
YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE
URBAN LEGEND THAT A PERSON
CAN'T EAT 6 CRACKERS IN 60 SECONDS?
YOU KNOW, I'VE DEFINITELY
HEARD THIS BEFORE,
BUT I THINK I COULD DEFINITELY EAT
6 CRACKERS IN 60 SECONDS.
I THINK YOU DEFINITELY
CANNOT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY?
LET'S PUT THAT TO THE TEST.
ALL RIGHT, HERE'S THE RULE.
YOU CAN ONLY EAT ONE AT A TIME.
NO STACKING THEM UP AND THEN
STUFFING THEM IN YOUR FACE.
THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES. FAIR ENOUGH.
ALL RIGHT, YOU READY? YES, I AM.
THREE, TWO, AND ONE.
♪♪
HMM? MM.
HMM? MM!
MM-HMM.
MM-HMM.
[ CHUCKLES ]
[ GRUNTS ]
[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]
[ MUFFLED ] MM, 60 SECONDS.
TIME'S UP. HOW YOU DOING?
OH. [ SPITS ] YEAH?
THAT'S DISGUSTING. STOP SPITTING ON ME.
[ CHUCKLES ] MONSTER.
I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT
IT. IT'S, LIKE, EVERYWHERE, MAN.
SO, WHY CAN'T DARREN EAT
ALL SIX CRACKERS IN UNDER A MINUTE?
ALL YOUR SALIVA'S GONE
AFTER ABOUT TWO CRACKERS,
SO I ATE TWO CRACKERS AND I'M OKAY, BUT...
EVEN THOUGH OUR SALIVARY
GLANDS PRODUCER AROUND
50 OUNCES OF SALIVA EACH DAY, THAT'S ONLY
.04 OUNCES PER MINUTE,
WHICH GETS ABSORBED
VERY QUICKLY BY THE SALT
AND THE STARCH IN A CRACKER.
THE HUMAN MOUTH IS NO MATCH
FOR SIX CRACKERS IN A MINUTE.
YOU SEEM... NO, MAYBE GO TO THE SINK.
VICTORY.