Ping Pong Fission: High school class demonstrates power of the atom

By: Will Goodman
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(CBS) - As many of you may know, we here at The Feed are total suckers for science, at least when it comes in the form of cool videos. So it should come as no surprise that I love this video showing how a nuclear chain fission reaction occurs using... wait for it... ping pong balls and rat traps! The actual reaction occurs at about 1:48 into the video.

The experiment was conducted for an AP Chemistry Class at the Horizon Science Academy Cleveland High School (HSA). It was done in conjunction with the school's video club (double-education WIN!) and used around 300 mousetraps and 600 ping pong balls in the culminating experiment to show the reaction.

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by dingbatboy April 17, 2011 6:04 PM EDT: OK that girl with the green colored hair did absolutely nothing except twiddle her hair, walk around, talk on the phone, take photos, tweet or facebook on her laptop, and swing her legs around on the desk.; Reply to this comment


by Nuschlerclark March 25, 2011 3:36 PM EDT: This same thing was done over 50 years ago...
so what!; Reply to this comment


by srelf-2009 March 25, 2011 3:08 PM EDT: That is awesome.; Reply to this comment

by formrusmcsgt March 24, 2011 7:51 AM EDT

This idea was lifted from Disney's "Our Friend The Atom" made about 50 years ago......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f4kYYAQC3c

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by mchoward21 March 25, 2011 12:10 PM EDT: shut up who cares...they never claimed to have made it up


by Tito-the-great April 16, 2011 4:42 PM EDT: and perfected by a bunch of kids in 2011!
I must have missed the part where they claim originality.

Also, the nice man hired by Wally to be his science chief, and who is on the film, is none other then Heinz Haber who spent WWII performing high speed/altitude flight tests on concentration camp prisoners who were later killed, then dissected by Haber himself. Haber also had said that the idea of the mousetraps was from a briefing to the Army brass. So Disney did the "lifting" first!


by spaceatoms March 24, 2011 12:20 AM EDT: TomCat mouse traps are the best, I got three mice last year, they must have been blind!; Reply to this comment


by ahoyvoy March 23, 2011 7:55 PM EDT: I would like to mention that while I was using stumbleupon and sitting in class learning about nuclear fission, this site popped up and provided me with more interesting information than my teacher could have done and I would like to thank you :); Reply to this comment