Recently, I was at the Oklahoma Science Museum for a book signing and to present a science workshop to Oklahoma teachers. When I was in town, I also stopped by local news station KFOR to share some of my favorite science demonstrations. No matter how many times I tried to put anchorwoman Linda Cavanaugh at ease, she was still hesitant to conduct 50,000 volts of electricity or help me with a wildfire demonstration.
We have had a very dry winter across the Front Range in Colorado. The threat of wildfires is high and we have already experienced a few this year. One way firefighters work to protect homes threatened by fires is to coat them with a special polymer like that found in a baby diaper. The polymer holds a tremendous amount of water. If the fire gets close to the house, the water held in the polymer evaporates and cools down the fire. Watch this demonstration with a $100 bill. Will the money burn or will it escape the fire?
