Flaming pastries and exploding fruit!

October 17, 2003 9:16 AM

Strawberry pop-tart blow torches. Flaming pastries and exploding fruit! Anyone have other good examples of entertaining "science" projects (besides the previously discussed stinky meat and fat projects of TheSpark science)?
posted by gruchall (31 comments total)

The film can canon at Science Toysis a classic.
posted by ahimsakid at 9:25 AM on October 17, 2003

Cockeyed Science Club has studies in viscosity, Hot Pocket dissections, and how often your toast lands butter-side-down
posted by CrunchyFrog at 9:29 AM on October 17, 2003

I've tested the flamability of Garfield, tasted various canned meats and attempted to eat an entire loaf of Wonderbread in a single bite.

All in the name of science...
posted by hipnerd at 9:30 AM on October 17, 2003

Cockeyed rules. Rob (Cockerham) lives a few blocks away actually, and he inspired me to start my own Web site. The pranks are particularly good.
posted by hipnerd at 9:32 AM on October 17, 2003

besides the previously discussed...

Wait. Wait. Let me sit down. You're telling me this flaming-strawberr-pop-tarts-toaster page has never been previously discussed on MetaFilter? The room is spinning...
posted by soyjoy at 9:33 AM on October 17, 2003

See, that's how discombobulated I am by this - I can't even spell "strawberry."
posted by soyjoy at 9:35 AM on October 17, 2003

Hey, have you seen that site with the dancing hamsters? Man, that's good stuff!
posted by jjg at 9:43 AM on October 17, 2003

It doesn't matter whether the Strawberry Pop Tarts page was discussed before or not--what's more amazing is that the page was last updated in August 1994. Next year it will have been on the web for a decade. The mind boggles.
posted by tss at 9:44 AM on October 17, 2003

You're telling me this flaming-strawberr-pop-tarts-toaster page has never been previously discussed on MetaFilter?

I was amazed too. After searching Metafilter (several times) and finding no mention of flaming strawberry pop-tarts, I felt there was a moral obligation to post the link.
posted by gruchall at 9:55 AM on October 17, 2003

Ladies and gentlemen, you have not seen the true face of science until you have seen Peeps Research
posted by synapse at 10:01 AM on October 17, 2003

I challenge the scientific procedures employed by these amateur Pop-Tart-Blow-Tourchers. I was reading through the documentation of this experiment when I got to Figure 5. Extinguishing the SPT. On closer inspection I found the reflection of someone's bare foot this is hardly safe in a world of flaming hot strawberry jam.
posted by soren at 10:02 AM on October 17, 2003

soren: Duly noted on 13 October 1994.
posted by tss at 10:07 AM on October 17, 2003

exploding grapes
posted by dolface at 10:20 AM on October 17, 2003 [1 favorite]

and fun with sodium
(apologies for the sequential posts).
posted by dolface at 10:22 AM on October 17, 2003

...Hey, did you guys hear the one about the vibrating broom?
posted by keswick at 10:28 AM on October 17, 2003

Shiny Crap's science department has done some additional research on Peeps, including investigating their alcohol tolerance.

(Kind of a self-link, since I'm involved with Shiny Crap, but I didn't participate in any of the Peep research. But I hope forgiveness will be forthcoming since it's funny Science!)
posted by nickmark at 10:29 AM on October 17, 2003

Has anyone ever set a ping pong ball on fire? It turns into a mini-blow-torch! I don't know why.
posted by onlyconnect at 10:50 AM on October 17, 2003 [1 favorite]

I'm involved with Shiny Crap, but I didn't participate in any of the Peep research

OK, but I don't want to hear you saying "We won a Peabody Polk award," then.
posted by soyjoy at 11:35 AM on October 17, 2003

Don't forget the ever-popular glowing pickle.
posted by TedW at 12:04 PM on October 17, 2003 [1 favorite]

There's this page with this button, see...
posted by solistrato at 12:15 PM on October 17, 2003

This is one of the first things I ever saw on the Internet. About the same time I saw the LOX barbecue page.

The original page is gone. But the link above has the cool pics. Apparently Purdue university had a contest to see who could use their chemistry skills to get the barbecue lit and ready to cook fastest.

"Lighting a grill with 3 gallons of liquid oxygen. Started with 60 lbs of charcoal; burnt up 40 lbs of it in 3 seconds. Result is a grill ready to cook in about 3 seconds, and all the old grease, etc burned off. Don't try this at home."
posted by y6y6y6 at 12:33 PM on October 17, 2003 [1 favorite]

On first glance, I thought that said "flaming pasties" which would have been something else entirely.

Didn't Dave Barry do something on this a while back?
posted by JoanArkham at 12:55 PM on October 17, 2003

when surrepititiously doing one-hitters in the bathroom stall at the work, never, ever, ever cap the bowl with a fender guitar pick. ever.
posted by quonsar at 12:57 PM on October 17, 2003

What brand pick should we use, then?
posted by soyjoy at 1:07 PM on October 17, 2003

i don't know, but those fender brand tortoiseshell are positively incendiary. and they stick to your thumb once ignited. there was nothing surrepititious about my exit from that stall.
posted by quonsar at 1:49 PM on October 17, 2003

I'm particularly fond of Twinkie experiments myself.
posted by batgrlHG at 1:55 PM on October 17, 2003

I've seen those pop tarts go - quite frightening!

Some years ago when I was a smoker, I was at a business lunch and in lighting my cigarette, my recently manicured fingernail ignited like a torch. Those damn manicure chemicals are volatile! It was quite spectacular - hard to believe the ignition of one small nail could spawn such pyrotechnics and turn all heads in the restaurant. I dowsed it by sticking my finger in a glass of milk.

It had been rather a stuffy lunch up til that point, but that was an icebreaker if nothing else. Oh, and I got the account.
posted by madamjujujive at 2:02 PM on October 17, 2003

duh, I forgot to post my favorite flaming science project - matchstick cats, also from cockeyed.
posted by madamjujujive at 2:41 PM on October 17, 2003

"Those damn manicure chemicals are volatile!"

I had a flaming fingernail moment too! It was just the nail polish that lit up and burned off - and I sat there mesmerized for a second or two because it didn't hurt at all - and then the flame got near flesh. Which is when I quickly put it out.

*contemplates getting out some nail polish and a lighter and experimenting...*
posted by batgrlHG at 8:59 PM on October 17, 2003

quonsar, it's obvious there was karmic action going on there due to the provenance of the pick.

Just remember the old mnemonic:

tortoiseshell = tortoises' hell

and you'll be OK.
posted by soyjoy at 9:48 PM on October 17, 2003

This is one of the first websites I ever found. I'm saying that appreciatively, not derisively.
posted by kevspace at 10:25 PM on October 18, 2003