Explosive cans of soft drink - science for the people
February 10th, 2008
What I don’t understand and perhaps there is a physicist or explosives expert out there who reads this blog (obviously not a good physicist or explosives expert) who can explain it to me, is why it is that if I purchase a can of soft drink (soda/pop depending on your postal code) from one of those vending machines I can open said can of soft drink and consume with little or no explosions of sugary carbonated liquid. However if I were to say knock what is essentially the same can of drink on the table or desk and open it then fountains of soft drink bursts forward.
The machines seem to drop those cans from a fair distance, so what’s up with that!?
Don’t take my word for it, obviously I doubt you’ll take my word for it, really, you readers are a distrusting mob. No, go do some science for a change instead of the Mythbusters guys doing it for you.
- Go to your local shopping centre, place of work, train station etc and put adequate amount of money into one of those machines to purchase a fizzy drink. Open, then consume. Record the results.
- Now go home with a can of soft drink purchased wherever good soft drink cans can be found (for control sake probably best not to buy from the vending machine). Put it on your desk and then (before opening) knock it over. I suggest from a small shelf or stack of books to simulate the same distance dropped in the machine. Stand away from anything fizzy drink damageable and open, try and consume or wipe off of wall, forehead, clothes etc. Try videoing the experiment and putting up on youtube!!!
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results and next time on your resume you can put experimental scientist.
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Categories: Stuff | Tags: fizzy drink, mythbusters, physicist, soft drink cans, vending machine



















I think it rolls down more than falls in a machine.
MC’s last blog post..Week 39: Pageant of the Transmundane
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ROFLMAO. That post totally cracked me up.
All these “experimental scientists” are going to be popping up all over the place. Might put that as my occupation on the next form I get that only allows me to put “domestic duties” because I’m a stay at home mum. What’ll the next experiment be professor?
Lightening’s last blog post..Ten Pin Bowling Party
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I hear some ‘kachunking’ when it brings that can and hits the dispenser quite hard. I suspect if you were to roll your non-vending machine can around it would have the same explosive effects. I mean I’m willing to be proven wrong but I need to see the hard scientific evidence.
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Lightening - You see I’m worried now that this is going to blow all out of proportion much the way the Atom Bomb did. We started with fire then dynamite and next thing you know we can destroy whole countries.
Just think - not satisfied with cans, you start rolling the buddy bottles down steps to see them blow up, then your thirst for power leads you to 1.25L bottles, onto 2L bottles THEN KEGS…ARRRRRGGGGGG
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I was thinking on the weekend that Kylie Minogue is involved with the Great One World Fascist Government conspiracy that is happening right now.
I think this may be a symptom of that.
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I don’t think you can consider yourself an “experimental scientist” without an hypothesis. I think my hypothesis would be that you’ll end up with a face full of soda and not too much to drink.
Vending Machine Man’s last blog post..Used Vending Machines
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