The dancing drop of water - video
{Sry. Couldn't post vid here}
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You'll have heard of this effect in high school, but you probably haven't seen this manifestation of it. It makes an ordinary water droplet pulse like it has a heartbeat. And sometimes, it makes the drop form into a pulsing star.
If you were to know that the water droplet in the clip above is being pipetted onto an incredibly hot metal surface, would you be able to guess what's going on here? It's our old friend, the Leidenfrost Effect. When a drop of fluid hits a surface a great deal hotter than itself, the portion of the droplet that makes contact with the surface vaporizes instantly. This vapor temporarily provides a cushion which protects the rest of the droplet from the heat. The droplet forms a bead that rolls around the surface until it eventually succumbs to the heat and evaporates.
More
http://io9.com/watch-this-water-droplet-pulse-and-form-a-star-1686002312
Someone needs to add music...
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