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Tag Archives: states of matter

Tiny bubbles, be gone

By Stephen Ornes / October 1, 2012

Both of these steel balls are superheated to 400 degrees Celsius (750 degrees Fahrenheit). But the one on the left has been treated with chemicals that repel water, and as a result it doesn’t produce the explosion of tiny bubbles that precede a boil, as seen on the right. Credit: Ivan Vakarelski

The right surface can determine how water boils

Posted in Chemistry | Tagged boil, bubbles, chemistry, explosions, getinvolved, Glaco Mirror Coat Zero, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, materials science, Northeastern University, states of matter, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Melbourne, water repellant, water vapor

Walking on water

By Stephen Ornes / July 30, 2012

his cornstarch and water goo looks like a liquid, but put your hand on the surface and pull up, like a researcher here, and the goo sticks and rises with your hand (before gravity takes over and it drops). That's because in motion, this goo becomes thick and heavy like a solid. Credit: University of Chicago

Scientists explain why a liquid can sometimes act like a solid

Posted in Physics | Tagged classification of matter, colloid, fluids, getinvolved, Heinrich M. Jaeger, liquids, matter, non-Newtonian, Phases, physics, science fair, Scott Waitukaitis, solids, solutions/intermolecular forces, states of matter, topstories, University of Chicago, water

Cold, colder and coldest ice

By Stephen Ornes / February 25, 2010

Electric charge can change the temperature at which water freezes.

Posted in Chemistry | Tagged Electric Charge, electricity/electric charge, freezing, Freezing Point, Hydrogen Bonding, ice, intermolecular forces, physics, solutions/intermolecular forces, states of matter, water