🚀 go-pugleaf

>
> I have a student who is interested in researching why cornflakes at the
> bottom of a cereal box do not get crushed.  I would be interested in any
> leads for approaches to this problem you might provide.  I am a biologist
> but work with secondary students in all types of science research.
> Thanks in advance for your help.
> Shelli Slutskin
> Science Resource Teacher
> Anne Arundel County Public Schools
> 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis MD 21401      FAX (410) 222-5605
> e-mail slutskin@umd5.umd.edu            Phone (410) 222-5432
>
I seem to remember a show recently on sat morning tv about just this...

It had something to do with the pressure on the walls of the vessel
which contains the corn flakes.  An analogy (very rough) would
be a sand pile or a pile of grain at a storage facility.  As the grains
on top press down, the grains below are not forced straight down, but
transfer some of the force to the side.  This way, friction with the
sides of the container takes up some of the total weight and the
grains on the bottom don't 'feel' all the weight of the total
of the grains above them.  A simple demonstration would be to
pack a glass column, say 1" diameter and a foot or two long, with
sand and 'seal' the bottom with toilet tissue.  Obviously, the tissue
is not strong enough to hold all that weight, but it will hold the sand
in the tube.  You would probably need to experiment with tube diameters
and tissue brands to get a combination that works.

hope this helps ...

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Key,                  Demonstrations and Laboratories
Kansas State University     Department of Physics
9 Cardwell Hall             913-532-1629
Manhattan KS 66506-2601     FAX:    6806         rkey@phys.ksu.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------