Sub-zero Ice Cream Owner Reinforces Science Core

Recently, Jerry Hancock, owner of Subzero Ice Cream in Orem, spent the day at Spanish Fork Junior High making ice cream for about 500 students! He makes ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Hancock has a degree in Chemistry from BYU. He was able to reinforce various core science topics such as: the kinetic theory of matter, changes of state, heat transfer, pressure, and density.

One very interesting thing that happened was when he put liquid nitrogen in a metal bowl, liquid drops started to condense on the sides, similar to how beads of water form on the surface of a cold soda pop can or on the mirror in a bathroom. He asked the kids what they thought it was. An overwhelming response was that it was water, but water would have frozen solid at -320 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid dropping off the bowl was in fact oxygen! It's strange that the very air we breathe can be made to turn liquid.

Another thing he did, was put a balloon in the liquid nitrogen. It condensed so much that the balloon became as flat as a pancake. When allowed to warm up from the air at room temperature, it expanded back to its original size.

In addition, he shot streams of nitrogen into the air from his pressurized tanks, causing the air in the room to fog up. He explained that there was more water vapor in his breath than in the room. When he blew over a bowl of boiling liquid nitrogen, it formed a much more dense cloud, because the water in the air was condensing from the cold. He also put liquid nitrogen into a water bottle, allowing the pressure to build up, until it blew the lid off! Students had a lot of fun seeing real life applications of many of the concepts they learn in the classroom. Hancock, with his chemistry degree, has found a way to make low-fat ice cream taste like high-fat by causing the water crystals in ice cream to freeze so fast, that they are too small for the tongue to detect. On Hancock's lab coat was written: "Subzero Ice Cream: Where Science and Cream Mix." Jr High staff member Brian Moser said "We appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with business in the community to give our kids a more enjoyable learning experience."

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