Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold WaterDID YOU KNOW ?
That seems to defy logic ? It’s a fascinating phenomenon known as the Mpemba effect. In this scientific episode of Facts, Let’s dive into the intriguing topic and discover why this seemingly counterintuitive behaviour occurs.
As a 13-year-old, Erasto Mpemba was making ice cream. The usual procedure was to boil milk, mix it with sugar, let it cool, and then freeze it. However, one day, due to a shortage of time and freezer space, Erasto decided to skip the cooling step and put his hot mixture directly into the freezer. To his surprise, his mixture froze faster than his classmates’ cooler mixtures.The Ice Cream Experiment
When he brought this observation to his physics teacher, he was dismissed, being told that what he observed was impossible. But Erasto didn’t let go of his curiosity. A few years later, during a visit by Denis Osborne, a British physicist, to his school, Erasto posed a question about his observation. Osborne was intrigued and, together with Mpemba, conducted experiments that confirmed the phenomenon. They published their findings in 1969, giving official recognition to the Mpemba effect.
(Erasto Mpemba with Denis Osborne)
Whats more intriguing is that, Scientists are still trying to fully understand why this happens, but there are a few theories.WHY ?
- Evaporation: Hot water tends to evaporate more quickly, reducing the volume of water that needs to freeze which also leads to the cooling effect.
- Convection: Hot water can induce more vigorous convection, leading to a more uniform cooling process.
- Supercooling: Cold water is more likely to supercool, staying liquid below its freezing point, which delays the onset of freezing.
- Dissolved Gases: Hot water can hold fewer dissolved gases, and it’s suggested that water with less gas content freezes faster.
However, it’s important to note that the Mpemba effect is not always reproducible and depends on various conditions, such as the properties of the water, the environment, and the containers used. The phenomenon is still a topic of research and debate among scientists.
Erasto Mpemba’s legacy is a testament to the power of curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge, even against the odds. If you found this fact as fascinating as I did, don’t forget to give it a
! Were you already aware of this? Share your thoughts in the comments and feel free to drop some more intriguing facts for us to explore together.
