Exploding Mentos Drink

Exploding Mentos Drink A friend sent me a link to a Wired how-to project called The Manhattan Project in which you freeze a Mentos candy into an ice cube and place it in a carbonated drink. When the ice cube melts, the wax surrounding the candy will be exposed and the drink should erupt. Does it work? Lets find out. Exploding Mentos Drink Ingredients The drink in the original recipe called for whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters (basically a Manhattan plus diet cola), but you can make a rum and coke or whatever you like or just try the non-alcoholic version using two ingredients: diet colaa Mentosâ„ ¢ candy Make the Exploding Drink Ill tell you right up front: a drink with soda and Mentos wont explode unless it is in an enclosed container. Exploding drinks make messes, plus they tend to spray out shards of glass, so its a good thing this drink isnt so violent. Erupting is more what youre looking for here. If you want to cause an unexpected eruption, freeze a single Mentos candy into the well of an ice cube tray. Youll get the best results if you wait until the ice is almost frozen and then add a Mentos candy to each cube so that its near the surface of the ice. You dont want to soak the candy in cold water or its coating will dissolve. If that happens, all youll get when you mix it with diet cola is candy-flavored cola. The premise is that the Mentos will become exposed as the ice cube melts. When the wax coating of the candy reacts with the diet soda, the drink will fizz and bubble like the classic Mentos and diet soda fountain. If youre doing the project on-purpose or else dont mind getting caught dropping a Mentos into someones carbonated drink, you can simply plop the candy in the soda no ice cube needed. How the Mentos in Ice Cubes Trick Works Among other things, the gum arabic that coats a Mentos candy lowers the surface tension of the soda, allowing carbon dioxide bubbles to rise and expand more easily. The candy coating traps the gas, forming bubbles and foam. When I tried this project, I didnt get a spectacular eruption, but you can expect somewhat better results if you use a narrow glass for your drink. Except that the Mentos flavors the drink, I dont think someone with a Mentos-laced ice cube would notice much happening or suffer from an out-of-control foaming drink. The project is still pretty fun.

Karl Benz and the First Practical Automobile

Karl Benz and the First Practical Automobile In 1885, a German mechanical engineer named Karl Benz designed and built the worlds first practical automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine. A year later, Benz received the first patent (DRP No. 37435)  for a gas-fueled car  on January 29, 1886. It was a three-wheeler called the Motorwagen or Benz Patent Motorcar. Benz built his first four-wheeled car in 1891. He started Benz Company and by 1900 became the worlds largest manufacturer of automobiles. He also became the first legally licensed driver in the world, when the Grand Duke of Baden granted him the distinction. Whats especially remarkable was that he was able to achieve these milestones despite coming from a relatively modest background.   Early Life and Education Benz was born in 1844 in Baden Muehlburg, Germany (now part of Karlsruhe). He was the son of a locomotive engine driver who passed away when Benz was only two years old. Despite their limited means,  his mother ensured he got a good education. Benz attended the Karlsruhe grammar school and later Karlsruhe Polytechnic University. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe and graduated in 1864 when he was only 19 years old. In 1871, He founded his first company with partner August Ritter and called it the Iron Foundry and Machine Shop, a supplier of building materials.  He married Bertha Ringer in 1872 and his wife would go on to play an active role in his business, such as when he bought out his partner, who had become unreliable. Developing the Motorwagen Benz began his work on a two-stroke engine  in hopes of establishing a new source of income. He had to invent many parts of the system as he went along, including the throttle, ignition, spark plugs, carburetor, clutch, radiator, and gear shift.  He received his first patent in 1879.   In 1883, he founded Benz Company to produce industrial engines in Mannheim, Germany. He then began designing a motor carriage with a four-stroke engine based on Nicolaus Ottos patent. Benz designed his engine and the body for the three-wheel vehicle with electric ignition, differential gears, and water-cooling. In 1885, the car was first driven in Mannheim. It achieved the speed of eight miles per hour during a test drive. After receiving a patent for his gas-fueled automobile (DRP 37435), he began selling his automobile to the public in July of 1886. Parisian bicycle-maker Emile Roger added them to his line of vehicles and sold them as the first commercially-available automobile. His wife helped promote the Motorwagen by taking it on a historic 66-mile trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim to show its practicality for families. At the time, she had to purchase gasoline at pharmacies, and manually repair several malfunctions herself. For this, an annual antique auto rally called the Bertha Benz Memorial Route is now held annually in her honor. Her experience led to Benz adding gears for climbing hills and brake pads. Later Years and Retirement In 1893, there were 1,200  Benz Velos produced, making it the worlds first inexpensive, mass-produced car. It participated in the worlds first automobile race in 1894, finishing in 14th place. Benz also designed the first truck in 1895 and the first motor bus. He patented the boxer flat engine design in 1896. In 1903, Benz retired from Benz Company.  He served as a member of the supervisory board of Daimler-Benz AG from 1926 until his death. Together, Bertha and Karl had five children. Karl Benz passed away in 1929.