Prince Rupert's drop
Okay kiddo, have you ever played with glass beads before? Did you notice that sometimes they break when you drop them on the ground or hit them with something hard? That's because glass can be brittle and easily breakable.
But have you ever heard of something called Prince Rupert's Drop? These are pretty special glass drops that are made in a very unique way. When a molten glass droplet is quickly cooled, the outside hardens into a super strong shell while the inside stays liquid for a little longer. That's because the outside of the drop cools faster than the inside.
This creates a really interesting shape - it looks kind of like a teardrop with a long tail. The tail part is actually the part of the glass droplet that was liquid for a bit longer. And because the outside of the droplet is so strong, it can withstand a lot of force without breaking.
But here's where it gets really cool, kiddo. When you apply force to the tail end of the Prince Rupert's Drop (say, by hitting it with a hammer), the entire glass drop shatters into a million tiny pieces. It's like magic! And scientists still don't fully understand why it happens.
Some people think it's because the internal stress of the glass is released all at once when the tail end breaks, causing the entire drop to shatter. But no matter the reason behind it, I think we can agree that Prince Rupert's Drops are pretty fascinating things.
But have you ever heard of something called Prince Rupert's Drop? These are pretty special glass drops that are made in a very unique way. When a molten glass droplet is quickly cooled, the outside hardens into a super strong shell while the inside stays liquid for a little longer. That's because the outside of the drop cools faster than the inside.
This creates a really interesting shape - it looks kind of like a teardrop with a long tail. The tail part is actually the part of the glass droplet that was liquid for a bit longer. And because the outside of the droplet is so strong, it can withstand a lot of force without breaking.
But here's where it gets really cool, kiddo. When you apply force to the tail end of the Prince Rupert's Drop (say, by hitting it with a hammer), the entire glass drop shatters into a million tiny pieces. It's like magic! And scientists still don't fully understand why it happens.
Some people think it's because the internal stress of the glass is released all at once when the tail end breaks, causing the entire drop to shatter. But no matter the reason behind it, I think we can agree that Prince Rupert's Drops are pretty fascinating things.