Hero’s Engine

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Equipment:

  • Hero’s engine apparatus
  • Base and rod
  • 2 three finger clamps
  • 2 short test tubes
  • Bunsen burner and sparker

Demo:

  1. Fill flask to about 1/2 inch below nozzles. Seal the neck with a cork.
  2. Mount flask on the rod using test tubes as bearings as shown.
  3. Boil the water with the Bunsen burner. When enough steam is produced, the flask will spin. Don’t let it run out of water.

Explanation:

The Hero’s Engine is a simple steam engine. The thermal energy from the bunsen burner is transferred into the water. The water turns into steam and the pressure in the cavity increases causing the steam to shoot out through the holes and turn the energy into mechanical energy.