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AQUiLA MAGAZINE
TITANIC
Brrrr-ittle Breaks
Explore materials science using chocolate !
Did you crack ( pardon the pun ) the mystery of why the steel on the Titanic wasn ’ t as durable as steel is today ? Fancy doing some excellent engineering experiments but this time using something a bit more tasty ? Then read on !
ASTRA ’ S MISSION
When modern scientists examined pieces of the Titanic wreck , they noticed that the icy temperatures of the Atlantic made the metal very brittle . This is thought to be one of the reasons why the ship sank so quickly : the poor quality steel broke in a sudden , catastrophic and brittle way , like snapping spaghetti , rather than a slow , stretchy and ductile way , like stretching slime .
ACTIVITY SKILLS
30 mins
DIFFICULTY
If the waters around Titanic had been warmer , the damage might have been less devastating . Don your detective cap and investigate for yourself how temperature affects fracture using the best engineering material of all : CHOCOLATE !
GET STARTED
STEP 1 :
Take one of your chocolate bars and put it in the coldest part of your freezer overnight . Try not to eat the other one in the meantime .
STEP 2 :
When it ’ s frozen solid , take your chilly chocolate out of the wrapper and place it inside your sandwich bag , making sure to seal the bag .
STEP 3 :
Try pushing on the two ends of the frozen chocolate bar . Does the bar stay strong and in one piece ?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
YOU WILL NEED
o Two chocolate bars with caramel and nougat ( Snickers works best , Mars are a good substitute )
o A sealable sandwich bag
o A freezer o A hammer
o A clear area on a sturdy surface
o An adult helper
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