How does water levitate? Understanding the Leidenfrost Effect - Earth.com

How does water levitate? Understanding the Leidenfrost Effect

05-17-2017

When cooking pancakes, you’ve probably tested to see if the pan is ready by sprinkling water onto the skillet. If it boils away in place, the pan isn’t hot enough. But if the water droplets dance around, that means the pan is ready to cook the pancake without sticking. What’s behind this strange phenomenon? It’s called the Leidenfrost Effect, and it was discovered over 200 years ago.

Today’s Video of the Day comes from the American Chemical Society’s Reactions series and features a look at how the Leidenfrost effect works.

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com

Source: American Chemical Society

News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day