The TV show “Bill Nye the Science Guy” was filmed and produced in Seattle from 1993-1999. Bill Nye (b. 1955) made or commissioned many of the props that he used on the show to demonstrate scientific principles. This is a metal toilet float attached to a pressure gauge. It was used in the “Phases of Matter” episode on a segment about absolute zero. When submerged in dry ice (colder) the pressure gauge had a lower reading than when submerged in ice water (warmer). This shows that molecules slow down the colder they get. If it was possible to achieve absolute zero, the molecules would stop entirely.