Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow-Torches

In addition to the basic materials, a number of safety-related items were needed to conduct this experiment. First, a suitable location for the experiment was required, it being expected that the kitchen was not the appropriate place for blow-torching SPTs. The author's driveway was chosen as a suitable site. Second, an appropriate means for extinguishing the SPTs would be needed; a research assistant brought along some baking soda for the purpose. Experiment Preparation The toaster and SPT both had to be properly prepared for this experiment. In order to guarantee that the SPT would receive sufficient heat to begin combustion, the toaster was set to its highest setting and the lever was jammed in the "down" position using adhesive cellophane. A SPT was removed from the box and its protective packaging and carefully placed into the toaster slot (Figure 2).

Next, the toaster and SPT were taken to the driveway, and an extension cord was arranged to provide power to the toaster. At this point, we were ready to begin the experiment.

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