All Questions
Tagged with everyday-life phase-transition
47
questions
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Rotating a Pot of Boiling Water on a Stove
I have just boiled a half dozen eggs and wanted to ask about a phenomenon I have witnessed for years but have bottled up inside for so long. Why, when the water is near boiling and nice and hot, does ...
0
votes
2
answers
197
views
Why can ice melt below 0°C ？
In our common understanding, ice needs to be above 0°C to melt.
I have now done an experiment: a piece of glass covered with ice on one side and a heating module on the other end. Placing it in a -20°...
7
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why does more ice melt slower than less ice?
I know that ice cubes that are larger melt slower because of their surface area. However, when you put more ice cubes in a cup, all the cubes melt slower than a cup with less cubes. I hope this makes ...
- 539
1
vote
2
answers
87
views
Steam from a cup of coffee
I observed that, in winter there is more visible steam from a cup of coffee than in summer. Is there any phenomenon taking place here.
- 27
0
votes
1
answer
69
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Why does temperature increase like this? [duplicate]
My book makes the following claim: Suppose you drop a bunch of large and small ice cubes of temperature $0$ degrees in a beaker of water, then you start heating the beaker, the temperature of the ...
- 147
2
votes
2
answers
219
views
Why does ice on my car's windshield melt when it's below zero degrees Fahrenheit?
This morning I looked outside at my car and windows were covered in ice. The temperature this morning was -7F. A couple of hours later now the temperature is 0F, yet everything on the car is shiny and ...
- 123
1
vote
1
answer
59
views
Candle snakes - strange candle behavior
I was fidgeting with a candle when I started noticing that some strings of candle were forming in the liquid (see attached picture, where one of them was removed).
I tried seeing if there was any info ...
- 773
0
votes
3
answers
163
views
Why doesn't 250 ml of tap water kept outdoor in -2 °C freeze to ice?
I kept 250 ml of tap water in a thin plastic container out in the garden. The outdoor temperature has been varying around -2 °C most of the night and rises only to 0 °C during the day. I was expecting ...
6
votes
2
answers
466
views
Why is snow white? [duplicate]
There is one question that has been bothering me sometimes the last couple of years that I want to share.
There are two statements that I believe are true.
A) snow's natural color is white
B) snow of ...
- 243
12
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why does water boil in bubbles? [duplicate]
When my glass kettle is boiling water, you can see all the bubbles going up in a line.
Why do bubbles originate from a selected group of points on the bottom of the kettle? Why isn't it random?
What ...
- 2,127
1
vote
3
answers
798
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Steam explosion and how to prevent it while cooking [closed]
I hope this is not off-topic. I have googled for background info but didn't find much on cause and prevention. So the question to some experts.
The following accident just happened. I would like to ...
- 111
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
Which melts faster - ice cream or lollipop/popsicle?
My five-year-old wants to know whether ice cream or an ice lollipop (aka a popsicle) melts faster. Does the dairy content in ice cream make it melt more slowly or more quickly?
Update:
Assume constant ...
- 127
18
votes
10
answers
17k
views
Why do we "feel" steam at 100 °C as hotter than water at 100 °C?
A block of ice as big as a room will have more thermal energy than a cup of hot tea.
But the tea feels hotter because the average kinetic energy (temperature) is higher in case of tea.
I conclude from ...
- 833
2
votes
1
answer
119
views
Why do few droplets of rain fall a short time before a downpour?
What is the reason that before a heavy shower of rain, a few droplets always seem to fall? Why doesn't the heavy shower begin at once?
While freezing water, for example, some parts of the water such ...
- 1,235
2
votes
0
answers
143
views
Why doesn't the Teflon coating in cookware melt? [closed]
Teflon's melting point is 327 degrees Celsius, whereas a regular gas stove easily reaches temperatures above this. So why doesn't the Teflon coating in cookware melt while cooking?
- 219