phases/phase transitions/diagrams

I was mesmerized the first time I saw the quantum levitation (also known as quantum locking) experiment, in which a disk containing a superconductor hovers above some magnets. The superconductor can even glide freely over a track of magnets – even upside down (VIDEO 1).

I recently developed a demonstration that I’d like to call “The Chemical Laser Show”.

I am fascinated by the chemistry of pennies. Dissolving a penny in nitric acid is one of the most visually stimulating chemistry reactions I have ever seen.