A classic demonstration of pressure differentials. A rectangular 'gas can' contains a cup or so of water. The can is placed on a hot plate until the water boils. The can is then capped and placed on its side in an ice water bath. The resulting pressure differential between the cooling water vapor inside the can and atmospheric pressure outside the can causes the can to collapse dramatically.
Alternatively, the demonstration can be done with
a soda can. The steam filled can is turned upside-down in a water bath.
The collapse is startling and dramatic. When the can is removed from the
bath, it is nearly full of the water due to the vacuum created by the condensation
of the steam.
This demo can be found in cabinet D on shelf 3 of the UCSD PUL Demo Room
(WLH 2015).