Scientists solve 400-year-old mystery of Prince Rupert's drops

[rangerrebew]

Scientists solve 400-year-old mystery of Prince Rupert's drops
May 9, 2017 by Lisa Zyga feature
 

(Phys.org)—Researchers have finally answered a question that has stumped scientists since the early 1600s: Why are the heads of tadpole-shaped pieces of glass called "Prince Rupert's drops" so strong?

In the 17th century, Prince Rupert from Germany brought some of these glass drops to England's King Charles II, who was intrigued by their unusual properties. While the head of the drop is so strong that it can withstand the impact of a hammer, the tail is so fragile that bending it with your fingers will not only break the tail, but cause the entire droplet to instantly disintegrate into a fine powder.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-scientists-year-old-mystery-prince-rupert.html#jCp

[Joe Wooten]

Interesting. I had never heard of these before.

[Suppressed]

@Joe Wooten
Probably my favorite YouTube channel is Smarter Every Day.  Destin is awesome.  He's done a lot with Prince Rupert's Drops, including using high-speed cameras, shooting them, and going to the Royal Society in London to look at Sir Robert Moray's 17th Century documents describing them.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe-f4gokRBs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24q80ReMyq0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5MORochIDw

[Cripplecreek]

Interesting. I had never heard of these before.

I learned about them a few years ago when I saw some guys making them and playing with them on "Amazing acts of science". The way they solidify sets up an inside vs outside tension that makes them strong.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dViDJti9eCA

[Polly Ticks]

Wow.  I had never heard of them, either, but they're very cool!

[Oceander]

They're pretty cool.

[Gefn]

Yep really cool.