Liquid Nitrogen: Particles and States of Matter
Discover the fascinating world of chemistry by freezing things to –196°C.
Using liquid nitrogen, this show demonstrates how solids, liquids, and gases behave. See how they change state and how materials expand, contract, or change their properties with temperature. This fun, curriculum-aligned science show is for high school students who want to see chemistry come to life!
Students will experience
- Spectacular experiments involving liquid nitrogen, including the chance to see this amazing liquid up close.
- The effect of extreme cold on different materials and the chance to watch as they solidify, become brittle, or contract.
- The opportunity to form hypotheses and analyse experimental results in real time with the presenter.
Students will learn
- That states of matter are dependent on the freezing and boiling point of a chemical.
- That changes in temperature can alter the arrangement of particles.
- That temperature can result in changes to matter, for example causing it to expand or contract.
Other key information
- This program was previously known as Cool Stuff.
Related links
Availability
Terms 1–4, Monday to Friday
Duration: 30 minutes
Student information
Years 7 to 8
Minimum 15 students
Maximum 100 students
Bookings
Science show
Presented by a museum educator
Victorian Curriculum Links
Science: Levels 7 and 8
Chemical sciences
- the particle and kinetic theories of matter can be used to describe the arrangement and motion of particles in a substance, including the attraction between particles, and to explain the properties and behaviour of substances, including melting point, boiling point, density, compressibility, gas pressure, viscosity, diffusion, sublimation, and expansion and contraction (VC2S8U05)
Accessibility
Please view our accessibility page for general information. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.
Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund
The Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund aims to enhance access to our museums (Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and Immigration Museum), programs and events by offering free or subsidised education programs for eligible schools. Find out more about the fund.
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