curiousities

Natural Prince Rupert`s Drops

If glass is melted and dripped into ice-cold water, the glass solidifies into drops with a thin tail. Tremendous stress between the surface and the interior is the result. If viewed between polaroid films, the stresses and strains can be seen, just as in toughened glass. The bulbous end of a drop can withstand being hit with a hammer, such is the toughness. If however, either the thin tail is snapped, or the body scratched with a file, Prince Rupert`s drops violently explode into glass powder.