Propane Torch

Details

9AA400 - Tools & Maintenance

Demo use only

Instances

G2B20A - Demo West (Duane Physics)

Good - Normal Wear Demo use only

Used in these demonstrations

Light blue PVC cannon tube standing upright on a wooden base with a small ignition hole near the bottom, basketball sitting alongside on the lecture hall floor

Basketball Cannon

Ethanol vapor combustion inside a PVC cannon launches a basketball, dramatically demonstrating chemical-to-kinetic energy conversion. Students trace the energy transformation chain and discover that only a tiny fraction of the …

Light blue PVC cannon tube with basketball seated in top, mounted on black physicist's skateboard, with green ethanol spray bottle, propane torch, and white Trek bicycle helmet

Basketball Cannon Cart

A basketball fired vertically from a moving cart lands back in the cannon, demonstrating that projectile trajectory depends on the observer's reference frame. From the cart's frame the ball goes …

Straight bimetallic strip with black wooden handle on a gray surface

Bimetallic Strip

Demonstrates differential thermal expansion: two metals bonded together expand at different rates when heated, causing the strip to bend dramatically (~90°). Connects directly to thermostats, circuit breakers, and bimetallic thermometers.

Large clear container of water, crushed soda can, intact soda can on a tripod, propane torch, and heat-resistant gloves

Condensation in an Aluminum Can

Demonstrates the enormous magnitude of atmospheric pressure. Rapid condensation of steam creates a near-vacuum inside an aluminum can, and the resulting pressure differential crushes it with a loud bang. Also …

Eight metal rods of different metals radiating from a central hub, with steel balls waxed onto the tips, mounted on a ring stand with a Bernzomatic propane torch heating the hub from below

Conduction Rods

Different metal rods radiate from a central hub heated by a propane torch. Wax-mounted steel balls on the rod tips fall off in order of decreasing thermal conductivity, giving students …

Open case of A.W. Faber Thermochrom crayons with multiple colored sticks labeled with temperatures in Celsius and a reference chart in the lid

Heat Sensitive Crayons

Thermochromic crayon marks on an aluminum plate change color at specific temperatures when heated with a propane torch. Students see that any reproducible temperature-dependent property can serve as a thermometer, …

Round-bottom glass flask with two horizontal glass exit tubes, suspended by string from a horizontal rod between two bench clamp stands; a BernzOmatic propane torch sits below on the bench

Hero's Engine

Demonstrates Newton's third law and rocket propulsion in a rotational context. A suspended flask with tangential exit tubes spins when the water inside boils — escaping steam exerts a reactive …

Balance beam on a vertical stand with black base, two large silver cylindrical cans of equal size hanging from each end

Hot Air Balance

Demonstrates that equal volumes of warm and cold air have different masses. Heating one of two balanced cans causes the warm air inside to expand and partially escape, reducing its …

Iron wire coil assembly clamped to a ring stand with a flashlight bulb mounted on a wooden holder, BernzOmatic propane torch standing nearby, before heating

Iron Wire in Flame

An iron wire coil and a flashlight bulb are wired in series. Heating the coil with a torch until it glows red dramatically increases its resistance, visibly dimming the bulb. …

Magnetic disk heat motor: a permalloy disk mounted horizontally on a pivot next to a horseshoe magnet, with a Bernzomatic propane torch positioned to heat the disk rim

Magnetic Disk Heat Motor

A permalloy disk rotates continuously when heated by a propane torch near a horseshoe magnet. Students observe the Curie temperature transition: heated sections lose ferromagnetism and are no longer attracted, …

Four photos: storage cabinet for the mirrors, a large parabolic mirror with a candle on a lab jack at its focal point, a parabolic mirror with a Crookes radiometer at its focal point, and an iron ball on a stand

Parabolic Mirrors

Two parabolic mirrors at opposite ends of the lecture bench focus thermal radiation from a candle (or heated iron ball) onto a Crookes radiometer. Students see that radiant energy -- …

Handheld ring-and-ball apparatus: two brass balls on rods with black handles and a brass ring on a wooden handle (Gravesande's ring and ball)

Ring and Ball

A brass ball that just fits through a brass ring no longer passes through when the ball is heated, but does pass when the ring is also heated. Directly addresses …

Bernzomatic propane torch on stand heating a copper-constantan thermocouple junction, with compass needle on stand nearby and small beaker of ice water

Seebeck Effect Oersted's Experiment

Combines the Seebeck effect with Oersted's experiment: heating a copper-constantan thermocouple junction generates a current whose magnetic field flips a compass needle 180°. Demonstrates energy conversion from thermal to electrical …

Lecture bench setup with two simple thermocouples connected through a switch and shunt to a laser galvanometer mounted on a stand, with a projection surface visible at left

Simple Thermocouples

Demonstrates the Seebeck effect: heating a thermocouple junction generates an EMF, shown as a deflection on a laser galvanometer. Students observe direct conversion of thermal energy to electrical energy and …

Two photos: Top shows the thermocouple magnet mounted on heavy ring stands with a stack of 2 kg weights hanging from the armature and a bench torch positioned nearby. Bottom shows a close-up of the copper bar and torch heating area with a University of Colorado inventory label.

Thermocouple Magnet

A thermocouple heated by a torch and cooled by running water generates enough Seebeck-effect current through a coil to magnetize an iron core and support up to 10 kg of …

Brass Trevelyan rocker with a T-shaped body and long handle resting across a lead cylinder

Trevelyan Rocker

A heated brass rocker placed on a lead pipe oscillates as alternating contact points cause rapid local thermal expansion of the lead. Demonstrates thermomechanical feedback and the high thermal expansion …

Tyndall's bar breaker apparatus clamped horizontally to a ring stand, with a BernzOmatic propane torch positioned beneath it

Tyndall's Bar Breaker

Demonstrates the large forces generated by thermal contraction of a constrained metal bar. A heated steel bar is clamped tight, then as it cools and tries to contract, the thermal …

Composite bar with aluminum tube on left and wood dowel on right, wrapped in white paper that shows scorch marks only on the wood side

Wood and Aluminum Bar

Wrap paper around a composite aluminum-and-wood bar and pass it through a torch flame. The paper over aluminum is unscorched; the paper over wood burns. Students see that high thermal …

Reserve This Equipment

Demo use only

This equipment supports lecture demonstrations and cannot be reserved directly — it is assigned automatically as part of a demonstration. To use it, request a demo that includes it.