Austin's Dilema

“It’s too late, Austin Powers!” Dr. Evil cackled from the chair of his escape pod. “Meow!” Mr. Bigglesworth agreed. “Good bye… don’t forget to write… oh wait, you can’t because you’ll be dead! Muah ha ha ha!” and with that, the door of the smooth white globe hissed shut, and was launched down the long wooden corridor, knocking over several henchmen at the end before thudding into a slanted trough.

“What are we going to do, Austin?” said Vanessa Kensington. “We have to destroy Dr. Evil’s doomsday device, but how can we without the electronic detonator?

“I’m not sure, Vanessa,” said Austin, in his suave, British accent. “The only way we can detonate the explosives is if… I do it myself.” Austin gulped. “You go, Vanessa! I shall… destroy Dr. Evil’s doomsday device… save yourself!”

“Wait, Austin!” Vanessa looked around the mines they were in. “There are salt-peter crystals in these mines!” Austin grimaced. Saltpeter was renowned as a substance that could reduce his mojo. “Uh, Vanessa… I’m not sure how that’s relevant to our current situation.”

Well, Austin, if you’d attended chemistry classes rather than partying, you’d know that salt-peter i

Austin finally realized the significance of Vanessa’s scientific observations! “Smashing, Vanessa! We just need some thread, and some sugar, and we can make a splendid fuse to give us time to escape!”

Vanessa pondered. “Yes, but how much sugar and KNO3 should we use? And what type of thread? If we make the fuse too short, we won’t get away in time, and if we make it too long, the doomsday device will go off!”
 

Making a Fuse

Objective – Groups are to create a powder fuse using string as the base. The goal is to create a fuse that will burn 20 cm in 90 seconds.

Rules – Each group will be given a point total based on the following equation:

Time (seconds) X Distance (centimeters) = Points

The maximum time is 90 seconds, and the maximum distance is 20 cm (since, after 90 seconds, the doomsday device goes off, or at 20 cm, the explosives go off). Thus, a perfect score would be 1800 (90 s X 20 cm).

The timer/distance measurement will begin after the fuse has burned 5 cm.

Materials Supplied

Potassium Nitrate
Sugar
2 x 100 ml beakers
10 ml graduated cylinder
Mortar and pestle
3 x 40 cm long wool twine
3 x 40 cm long eurothane twine
3 x 40 cm long ? twine
Retort stand
Barbeque lighter
Timer
Meter stick
Metal pan
Sand
Paper towels
Powder bucket
Funnel
3 Erlenmeyer flasks

Safety Materials

Bucket of water (beside each test table)
Safety glasses (4 per table)
Fire extinguisher (at main table)