Does tapping on a can of soda keep it from fizzing?

[AreaCode707]

I saw my roommate repeatedly tapping with her fingertips on a can of soda. She claims that this keeps it from fizzing over when open. I can't see how this would work. She then shook up a can of soda, tapped it, and opened it and it didn't fizz. I claim it was because she cracked that one before she popped it all the way open, thus preventing fizz. Is there any logical reason tapping a can could work?

 

[SirChadwick]

ummm BS

 

[Atrail]

Yes it works, somewhat ...

 

[Nohr]

My brother got me in to doing that, now it's kind of a habit. Doubt it actually makes a difference now that I think about it.

 

[zsouthboy]

The "fizz" happens because of the CO2 dissolved in the soda..... lower pressure of the air outside of the can causes it to escape...... you can't stop that by "tapping". She must have cracked it beforehand. [THe tapping on the can only reduces the amount, because the bubbles combine at the top]

EDIT: my english sux0rz

EDIT 2: it would be REALLY horrible to drink if CO(carbon monoxide), not CO2, was dissolved in soda's rofl.... corrected

 

[Ameesh]

no, your roomate is inncorrect. if anything tapping the can would cause more jostling increasing the amount of "fizz"

like you said releaseing the pressure slowly will help this problem

 

[Dragnov]

lol. I do that out of habit sometimes. I think my mom got me doing it.

 

[Yomicron]

HowStuffWorks

When you tap on the can, you knock bubbles off the bottom and sides of the can, at which point they rise to the top (because gas is lighter than liquid) and there is only a small amount of liquid blocking their escape when you open the can.

 

[bmacd]

it has to be true...whenever i drop a can or somebody shakes it up, i smack the top or bottom with my palm and it doesn't fizz all over.

-=bmacd=-

 

[yoda291]

actually, I don't think it's the tapping that prevents it from fizzing up, rather, it's the settling down of the contents. It's like shaking a 2 liter bottle of soda and opening it. If you open it immediately, it blows up, if you let it rest, it isn't too terrible. It has something to do with the co2 in the liquid coupled with the pressure on the bubbles that form in the can. opening it up while there are bubbles in the liquid. When you release the pressure in the can by opening it, the bubbles expand, pushing out soda and air. If there are no bubbles, you only get the release of air from the can. Maybe the tapping helps pop those bubbles.

 

[Anubis]

seems to work for me

 

[JC]

Yeah, I can't see how it could work.....but it seems to

JC

 

[Bigred75]

it works....go shake the shizzy out of a can and give it a go

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Yomicron
HowStuffWorks

When you tap on the can, you knock bubbles off the bottom and sides of the can, at which point they rise to the top (because gas is lighter than liquid) and there is only a small amount of liquid blocking their escape when you open the can.

There we go! Thanks.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
seems to work for me

 

[AUMM]

i do it all the time

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Yomicron
HowStuffWorks

When you tap on the can, you knock bubbles off the bottom and sides of the can, at which point they rise to the top (because gas is lighter than liquid) and there is only a small amount of liquid blocking their escape when you open the can.

pwn

 

[Trevelyan]

It definately works... my friends didn't believe it either until I showed them.

 

[BennyD]

it works better if you use a heavy coin to tap it

 

[FoBoT]

no

its a weird thing some people do

it doesn't do squat

 

[Howard]

Amazing how some don't read the thread when they post.

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Howard
Amazing how some don't read the thread when they post.

Eh, just your average quantity of the Skoorb Effect

 

[Zenmervolt]

Short answer: No.

ZV

EDIT: That's experience talking.

 

[zsouthboy]

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: Howard
Amazing how some don't read the thread when they post.

Eh, just your average quantity of the Skoorb Effect

We haven't had a good skoorb effect® thread in a while... hmmm...

 

[anaxo]

What's the skoorb effect?

And it's worked for me, though I don't do it that often. I always thought it worked because you dislodged all the air bubbles to the top of the can, so instead of a spray of foam you only get air.