Posted 01.12.2011 at 10:51 am
8 Comments
It's called the Leidenfrost effect, and you've seen it before: dribble a little water onto the surface of a hot, dry pan, and the water forms little drops that skate around until they fizzle out.
But have you seen it filmed close-up at 3,000 frames per second? Thanks to Nathan Myhrvold and his Modernist Cuisine team (whom we're going out to visit in Seattle this week!), now you can.
Instead of boiling away instantly, if the skillet's hot enough the water is insulated by a thin layer of its own vapor, and skitters pleasingly.
Stay tuned for our up-close look inside Modernist Cuisine, the self-published 2,438-page science- and tech-fueled megacookbook to be published this March, after which we will finally finally let out our breaths.
8 Comments
To comment, please Login.
Popular Tags
Technology
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 2013: American Energy Independence
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.
Popular on Popsci
Most Commented
Technology
- Defense Distributed's Cody Wilson On Being Told To Remove 3-D Printed Gun Plans: "We Win"
- Thieves Stole $45 Million From ATMs Because The U.S. Uses Absurd 40-Year-Old Technology
- Autonomous X-47B Jet Fighter Makes Historic First Launch From An Aircraft Carrier
- 2013 Invention Awards: Family Flier
- A California State Senator Is Trying To Outlaw 3-D Printed Guns
- U.S. Navy Spends $37 Billion On A Ship That Barely Works
- Russia Is Building Robots To 'Neutralize' Terrorists
- Time-Lapse GIFs Show Earth Transforming Over 25 Years
- How To Turn An AK-47 Into A Soup Ladle
- America's Road To Energy Independence, Part 1
Most Emailed
Technology
- This Newer, Stronger 3-D Printed Gun Costs Just $25
- How Toys Are Preparing Kids For A Future With Robotic Friends
- 3 Robots That Want To Save Your Life
- IBM's Watson Is Bringing "Cognitive Computing" to Customer Service
- Russia Is Building Robots To 'Neutralize' Terrorists
- NASA Invests In 3-D Food Printer For Mars Missions
- Oklahoma Students Design Drones That Can Fly Into Tornadoes
- Russia's 'Space Ark' Returns All Of Its Lizards And Half Its Mice Safely To Earth
- Google Maps Helps People Find Families They Lost Decades Ago
- Norwegian Geologists Begin Drone-Guided Quest For Oil
Most Viewed
Technology
- This Newer, Stronger 3-D Printed Gun Costs Just $25
- How Toys Are Preparing Kids For A Future With Robotic Friends
- 3 Robots That Want To Save Your Life
- IBM's Watson Is Bringing "Cognitive Computing" to Customer Service
- Russia Is Building Robots To 'Neutralize' Terrorists
- NASA Invests In 3-D Food Printer For Mars Missions
- Oklahoma Students Design Drones That Can Fly Into Tornadoes
- Russia's 'Space Ark' Returns All Of Its Lizards And Half Its Mice Safely To Earth
- Google Maps Helps People Find Families They Lost Decades Ago
- Norwegian Geologists Begin Drone-Guided Quest For Oil
Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email
Assistant Editor: Colin Lecher | Email
Assistant Editor: Rose Pastore | Email
Contributing Writers:
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email
Shaunacy Ferro | Email
Today on PopSci.com
Copyright © 2012 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Methinks 'twas liquid nitrogen boiling at room temperature, not water in a frying pan.
@ nonthewiser Very astute observation!
i think it's the principle that their getting at.
Whats with the white material in the water drop?
What does it look like when it finally "fizzes out?"
"skitters pleasingly.."
Well said. Wasn't it well said? Had kind of poetry to it
Why is the steam only above and not coming from the contact area with the hot surface?
Was I the only one who wanted to see more than just the slow-motion up close? How about a different perspective? Although I guess if it is just liquid nitrogen (thank you nonethewiser you are very clever) then why bother. :)
it looks like a snowglobe (and a pretty awesome one at that)