"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Apr 2015 10:42:34 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


You could try gently and unobstrusively bending a 3/8" steel rod in
a
hardware store to get a hands-on feel for how stiff steel is, and
isn't.

-jsw


Coat hangers are good for that, too. They're what I use to
demonstrate
the principle to people. When you're talking about how even the
crappiest steel has the same elastic properties as, say, 200,000
psi-yield music wire of the same diameter, it makes a good demo.
Steel
doesn't come much crappier than coat hangers.

--
Ed Huntress

How did you do it?

I usually had a bench vise and drywall screws available in the labs
where I worked. My demo was less convincing in someone's office with
only paper clips and a lighter, though they are enough to show how
fire severely weakens steel.

-jsw