» Ignoring Instructions

Another Chemistry One ...
Many years ago, GCSE Chemistry. We were using Propanol (I think) (highly flammable, looks like water).

Someone decided it would be a good idea to play a prank on one of the less popular kids, so tipped all of the unused propanol into one of the sinks at the back of the classroom. When it was well and truly coated in the stuff, he convinced this kid to light his tiny test tube of propanol and tip it down the sink.

Not knowing that the sink was already full of the stuff, and hoping to score a few popularity points, he did just that. And the sink went up in flames, at least two feet above the desk.

Panic ensued, and someone turned the water on, desperately hoping to extinguish the flames before the teacher noticed what was going on. Unfortunately, propanol floats on water - and so the fire continued.

At this point, the teacher noticed the small inferno. He sighed, slowly put the cap back on his pen, got up, strolled to the back of the class and emptied a bucket of sand into the sink. He never said a word.
(Fri 5th May 2006, 16:26, More)