Thursday, July 18, 2013

Gordon Conference Last Day: Droplets Dancing in Hot Skillets


I never wondered, only noticed, droplets
dancing on hot skillets, the way to tell if the pan
was hot enough, or too hot, for pancakes on
Sunday morning, my mind more on luscious
blueberries and maple syrup than physics.
I never thought about superhydrophobicity, or
that a thin layer of vapor was responsible for
such things, only whether there was still some
whipped cream in the refrigerator and if I could
eat the small rest of it without anyone noticing.
How could I not marvel, wonder, need to know
why droplets danced on hot skillets, I wondered
at how I could not have wondered at this
wonderful dance.

1 comment:

Jim said...

The Leidenfrost effect is a wonder of physics. From pancake griddles to very dry hands plunged into liquid nitrogen it provides a window into nature!