Wednesday, February 5, 2014

What Happens When a Can of Pop Freezes?

What happens when a can of pop freezes?  As the liquid inside the can freezes, it expands.  The frozen pop has nowhere to go so it pushes against the can until the can breaks and the contents fly out making a mess.  During the very cold stretch a couple of weeks back, we decided to test how long it takes a can of pop to explode in -12 degree F weather.  It took a surprisingly long time.  Sometime between the 2 hour and 2 hour 15 minute mark, the can popped.  We didn't notice right away until we looked out and the can was gone!  It had fallen off the deck railing and fell into a snow bank.  Upon fishing it out, this is what we found.



We then had a nice Sprite slushy!


On a related note, make sure to place the can far from the house.  I placed the can on the opposite side of the deck from the sliding glass door, but apparently it wasn't far enough.  The next day we noticed splatters of Sprite all over the door!

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