NITROGEN ICE CREAM
SPS Overview
What is SPS?
SPS supports physics and STEM education, research, and outreach in Flagstaff. We prioritize resume-building, STEM student networking, and fun science trips!
Weekly Triva
Weekly trivia question every week and prize for getting the most correct by the end of the semester!
Question of the Week: In a cylindrical space station that rotates to simulate gravity via centripetal acceleration, does a person jumping “up” (toward the center axis) land ahead of, behind, or at the exact same spot they took off from, relative to the floor?
Answer: The person will land behind; this is because of conservation of momentum (your tangential velocity remains roughly the same), as well as
O’Neill cylinders → giant counter-rotating space structures that rotate in opposite directions cancel out any gyroscopic effects that would otherwise make it difficult to keep them aimed toward the Sun
Winner: Tristyn!!
Demo: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Nitrogen exists in a liquid state at -320 F (77 K) at STP. Due to this very cold temperature, contact with water causes cryogenic flash freezing, forming smaller ice crystals than normal ice cream, making it very creamy!
Fun Fact: Liquid nitrogen’s most common use is keeping eggs in IVF clinics cold
~70.08% of Earth’s total atmosphere is composed of Nitrogen, meaning we can use a condenser to cool it straight from the air
Check out how it works in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI7Lh7ISX6M
Ongoing Research On Campus
NAU researchers recently in the news found a trans-Neptunian object that falls past Neptune, including the Kuiper Belt and many dwarf planets.
Physics research on campus focused on optics and opto-mechanics.
A lot of research on campus spanning Geology, Astronomy, Physics, Planetary Science, and so much more.
Reach out to the SPS cabinet to get you in touch with a faculty researcher.
Upcoming Events
Next meeting: Chase Kurbat will be speaking → CEFNS career advisor; she will be speaking about resumes, APS, grad school, and more.
Flagstaff Science in Park: Saturday, Sept. 26th, 10 AM- 2 PM
Science networking with USGS, GORE, etc., and fun STEM vendors
Come and say hi to SPS!
Meteor Crater – Saturday, October 3rd
Here is the slides from the meeting!
https://canva.link/qyz3ze8dso7200i
Fun Facts:
Recent simulations show that the Moon formation process took about 5 hours and has caves!