Experiment Idea?
"explosions really do offer a wealth of opportunity..."
- Brian Johnson (USA)
Purpose: The purpose
of this experiment is to cause the explosion of a golf ball.
Hypothesis: Given
a golf ball with a liquid core, it is the hypothesis of this experiment
that the liquid in the core, under tremendous heat, would create enough
pressure as to explode the ball.
Equipment: Used in
this experiment was one Titleist tour balata
golf ball and a blow torch. Gloves, safety goggles and other protective
gear highly recommended as well as a fire extinguisher.
Procedure: The
first step in this experiment is to place the golf ball on the ground.
Attach all applicable safety gear and then light the blowtorch. Place the
flame on the golf ball and observe any results.
Results: Upon contact
with the flame the golf ball began to melt then catch fire. When the blow
torches flame finally reached the core, water burst out of the core, shooting
a thin stream roughly 8 feet from the ball. Water emission lasted roughly
a second. The blow torch was removed at this point. The ball continued
to burn, roughly 20 seconds later the golf ball violently jumped off the
ground about 25 feet into the air still lit and came down where it had
to be extinguished.
Conclusion: Based
on these observations that golf ball indeed explodes and rather violently.
Given this, Scientific AmeriKen stresses extreme caution in duplicating
this experiment as it is perceived that flying fireballs are a dangerous
thing.
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