Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: jeffreyH on 11/06/2018 23:00:04

Title: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 11/06/2018 23:00:04

Can we design a simple experiment to show that there is energy in a vacuum?

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: chris on 14/06/2018 22:23:40

Ironic that the reply box to this was was an empty space...

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 15/06/2018 20:38:40

The whole premise may be vacuous.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: Kryptid on 15/06/2018 20:54:12

The first thing that comes to mind would be the Casimir effect, but it's very weak and common household items are probably insufficient to demonstrate it. At the very least, you'd need a vacuum chamber to eliminate air pressure affecting the measurements.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 15/06/2018 21:54:10

I don't think I'll find a vacuum chamber in our kitchen. What's the next best thing?

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 15/06/2018 21:58:08

We have a vacuum cleaner.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: Colin2B on 16/06/2018 05:29:08

You are obviously no Heston Blumenthal, every kitchen should have one https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/oct/16/foodanddrink.shopping4

I think you’ll find yours is in the cupboard with the sandwich toaster, waffle maker, yoghurt maker, lattice pie cutter, etc, and all the other things that seemed a good idea at the time, but just took up worktop space.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 12:10:52

Question. Is it negative pressure that makes the chocolate rise and bubble? It is said that nature abhors a vacuum but why? The chocolate is made to physically move. This implies a force and looks a lot like dark energy. When there is little matter to counterbalance it then it becomes more apparent.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: Bored chemist on 16/06/2018 12:29:31

Quote from: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 12:10:52

It is said that nature abhors a vacuum

Reminds me of this
http://www.eoht.info/photo/12650502/Nature+Abhors+a+Vacuum+%28the+Far+Side%29

Anyway, what moves the chocolate is the pressure behind it, rather than the vacuum in front of it.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 13:03:15

In which case the large scale structure of the universe should be because of the pressure behind. Where does dark energy come in? Like the bubbly chocolate the universe has walls and filaments connecting galaxies. Maybe we could learn something, even if the chocolate in a vacuum has nothing to do with dark energy.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 13:30:23

For those interested it would be instructive to study pressure. There are some interesting things that arise from this study. Including the Bernoulli effect and Poiseuille's law.
To start with there is the following.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_pressure_variation

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 13:44:05

The hyperphysics site has some illustrations of the effects.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pman.html

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 13:55:39

For the molten chocolate, the air pressure acts to suppress, to some extent, the motions of the molecules due to heat. So that these do not overcome the intermolecular forces and separate from each other. In the vacuum this heat pressure is no longer restrained by air pressure.

Title: Re: Is there a kitchen science experiment to measure the energy of a vacuum?
Post by: jeffreyH on 16/06/2018 14:06:11

The other thing to consider is how things will lose heat in a vacuum. This wikipedia article deals with vacuum cooling.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_cooling