Cornstarch Balloons

Chris Pasterczyk and Steve Gardos

Chris and Steve dusted the interiors of the balloons with varying amounts of cornstarch before puncturing them. They used a sound trigger to capture the bursts. The photographs are exceptionally sharp, showing the texture of the collapsing balloon material in detail. Click on any photo for an enlargement.

Chris Pasterczyk is a physics teacher at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts.  Steve Gardos was one of Chris' students. Steve graduated in '98 and is now attending Middlebury College.  These photographs are their first venture into high-speed photography.