I am a former middle school science teacher and this demonstration was always a favorite with my students. The amount of heat created by dispersing cornstarch into the air and igniting it is amazing to behold. How much heat you say? Enough to set off the school's fire alarm and the ensuing evacuation. Twice!
A great way to show how the amount of available oxygen affects the combustibility of a substance.
This demonstration is used to confuse and spark the interest of all my students. I usually throw the water at them at the end of the demostration. Unfortunately there were no volunteers. Enjoy the trick, I posted how to do it in another movie, if you are intereseted
