COSEE Ocean Systems: News
It's So Cold in the Midwest, a Pot of Boiling Water Turned Instantly to Snow
Description: How cold is it today in the Midwest? Cold enough that a pot of boiling water instantly freezes when it is tossed into the air outside. The boiling water has relatively low viscosity, so when you throw it into the air, it breaks into tiny droplets that vaporize almost instantly due to their high ratio of surface area to volume. But cold air can't hold much water vapor, so it quickly clings to tiny sodium or calcium particles and crystallizes. [Source: Slate Magazine]
URL: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/01/06/cold_weather_turns_boiling_water_to_snow_eric_holthaus_video_in_wisconsin.html
Availability: Full Text
Source: Slate Magazine
Publish Date: 1/6/2014
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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