The Leidenfrost Maze, designed and built by Carmen Cheng and Matthew Guy at the University of Bath, demonstrates how Leidenfrost droplets can be self-propelled in a controlled way by the jagged texture of the hot surface.
And what exactly is the Leidenfrost Effect? From PopSci:
The basic idea is, when a liquid comes in contact with something really hot—about twice as hot as the liquid’s boiling point, although it changes on certain factors like the size of the drop—the liquid never comes in direct contact with the surface; vapor acts as a barrier that keeps the two separated. When you flick drops of water on to a pan to check the heat, that skittering you see and hear is because of this effect.
Cheng and Guy made the aluminum block maze to inspire and share science with local school kids, though we’re guessing every school around the world would love a physics demonstration kit like this.
There are more excellent physics videos in the archives.
This Webby award-winning video collection exists to help teachers, librarians, and families spark kid wonder and curiosity. TKSST features smarter, more meaningful content than what's usually served up by YouTube's algorithms, and amplifies the creators who make that content.
Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.