Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Curious property of Prince Rupert's Drop glass

Curious property of Prince Rupert's Drop glass: "

If you drop molten glass into a bucket of water, it will solidify into what's called a 'Prince Rupert's Drop.' According to this Corning video, the surface of the drop is in a state of great compression, while the interior is in a state of great tension. You can squeeze the bulbous part of the drop with pliers or bang on it with a hammer to no avail. However, if you snap off the hair-thin tail at the end of the drop, it'll shatter into dust. (Via forgetomori)







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(Via Boing Boing.)

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