Ever since I can remember, my kids have liked the idea of
things blowing up.
When Jacob was two, I found him playing in the kitchen with
matches, and I asked him what he was doing. He said, “Making a bomb.”
I thought this would
pass. I was wrong.
Now my kids watch Brainiac: Science Abuse. (I’ve learned
that thermite is very cool.) And the Slo-Mo Guys.
I’ve learned about the Chemistry Dept. picnic where one
professor’s claim to fame is a very dangerous mixture of Mentos, soda and his
mouth. And I thought tying a cherry stem into a knot in my mouth was a cool
party trick. (Seriously, the Mentos/soda thing is very dangerous. Do not try it.)
My son Luke who’s in his senior year of a BS in chemistry
had a giddy look on his face the other day. I asked him what was up. He told me
he was doing Grignard reactions. They’re exothermic and have the potential to
go “boom.”
Yesterday, Luke and Jacob were discussing engineering. Jacob
is a freshman in college studying engineering. The subject came around to
nuclear engineering. My daughter Ariel sighed happily and said, “Nuclear engineering
uses partial differential equations.” I said, “And?” Her eyes lit up. “You
know, oscillations nearing infinity…well, boom!”
Even my daughter likes “Boom!”…okay, I like booms too. I get
giddy in thunderstorms. And my dad’s been known to go tornado chasing. I once
got a phone call from him when he was hiding under an interstate overpass,
watching a tornado. So I guess the kids come by it naturally.
Wow, that seems VERY dangerous. I definitely won't be trying that experiment! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with Brainiac or thermite, so thanks for the video. That's quite a reaction. :P
ReplyDeleteThat's scary looking stuff. My hubby says they used it in the military, but it doesn't look like something I'll be adding to my grocery list. Hmmm, and I thought making things go BOOM was just a guy thing.
ReplyDeleteThey should watch "Will it blend". Things do boom sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI won't let my son-in-law see this or I know what we'll be doing at our next family get-together...and since we are usually at our house, this is not something I want him to see :>)
ReplyDeleteI like SEEING explosions from a safe distance away (like through a TV), but I'd probably never mess with it myself, hah. I can see the appeal though, lol. Never heard of Brainiac, so thanks for the vid!
ReplyDeleteHA! My dad and his brother apparently made black powder (successfully) at home when they were young. Fortunately their dad caught their "curing" spot--on top of the furnace--before anything went kaboom.
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