Kind: captions
Language: en
You and everything around you is made of
subatomic particles. They're the
smallest and most fundamental building
blocks of matter. They're everywhere,
yet you've never seen them. Here's a way
to reveal them at home.
All you need is a jar, a sponge, rubbing
alcohol, a flashlight, a black marker,
and some dry ice. Now, we just need a
subatomic particle. But on Earth, most
subatomic particles like electrons are
bound inside atoms. Lucky for us, when
stars die, they can explode, shooting
pieces of atoms across the universe, and
some eventually reach Earth's
atmosphere. Here, they collide with
molecules in our air, bursting into
showers of electrons and other subatomic
particles, like muons. They're shooting
invisibly all around you and through
you. Here's how to actually see them fly
by. First, stuff the sponge in the
bottom of the jar and pour some alcohol
on it. Then, color the inside of the lid
black and place it on the jar. Pour out
a pile of dry ice. Turn the jar upside
down on the dry ice. Wait several
minutes for the lid to cool down. Shine
your flashlight over the lid. Turn off
all other lights and look closely for a
line of small droplets to appear.
[Music]
Here's what's happening. As alcohol gas
vapor floats down from the sponge toward
the freezing cold lid, it becomes super
saturated. Meaning any disturbance will
cause the gas to condense into a cloud
of liquid droplets. So if a muon or
electron from a cosmic shower shoots
through the vapor, a cloud of droplets
forms along its path. As amazing as it
may seem, every line that you see in
your jar comes from a subatomic
particle. You've revealed the smallest
building blocks of the universe as they
shoot past your eyes all the way from a
distant star.