Liquid Nitrogen because of its very low boiling point ((−195.

79 °C (77 K; −320 °F) ) will boil once

it is placed in the styrofoam cup as the temperature of the room is much higher than the boiling
point of liquid Nitrogen.
The boiling of liquid Nitrogen means that liquid is being converted to gas and if this gas is confined
to a space (say a closed styrofoam container) it would explode as the gas expands. It s critical not to
have the top of the cup covered.
However if the volume of the cup is much larger than the volume of the Nitrogen, the top of the
container need not be left open.
Once all the liquid Nitrogen boils away, the Nitrogen in its gaseous state occupies a larger volume
than the Nitrogen in its liquid state.
The temperature gradient : Now the Nitrogen exposed at the surface is being boiled away. Boiling
requires a heat source and the heat for the boiling is supplied from the surrounding air. As the heat is
taken away from the air, the water vapor in the air condenses and freezes around the styrofoam.
This lowers the temperature of the styrofoam at the top. This effect does not happen at the bottom
where the styrofoam is much warmer than at the top. Therefore, the temperature gradient between
the cup and the liquid is much greater at the bottom than at the top.