ice-nine
grrlscientist | May 16, 2008tags: ice-nine, supercooled water, physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, streaming video
This is a fun little experiment with water that was supercooled to -21C (-6F). The supercooled water is poured into a bowl. It pours out as a liquid and turns to slush, forming ropelike peaks [1:07].
What are the physics behind how water can be supercooled without freezing into a solid? It happens like this; when water is supercooled but remains undisturbed, it does not freeze into a solid unless there is an impurity present (a rough surface, for example) for the cold water to crystallize around (a "…