Can Crush by Air Pressure Experiment

Question

If you put a can with water at its base over a hot plate and allow the water to heat. Once Steam is visible from the top of the can, and quickly flip the can upside down into a bowl of water with gloves or tongs, the can will be crushed by the atmosphere.

The question is...

How may someone calculate the air pressure of which the can is crushed before or after impact?

Answer 1

The pressure exerted is approximately the air pressure (14.7 lbs/in²). Inside the can, you assume that the steam that has displaced all the air condenses to water and essentially makes the pressure inside about 0. A better estimate would be the vapor pressure of water at the room temperature (very much an approximation) - about 1/30th of an atmosphere of pressure. The difference between outside pressure and inside pressure is still about 1 atm of pressure. With ice and a sealed oil drum that is filled with water, the drum is crushed by the atmospheric pressure. Calculate the force exerted by multiplying atmospheric pressure by the surface area.