Random question about ice (if you know science)


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Hey guys, really random question.

 

I was putting some ice in a glass, and when i went to pour (tap) water on it, i heard a loud *bang* and tons of smoke was coming out of my glass for a good 20 seconds. It looked really cool and I was wondering what caused it and how I can re-create it.

 

I made the ice last night and i remember taking out the ice cube tray (one of those plastic/silicone ones) and using/refilling ice on the other side of the tray. The ice I used today was at that point half frozen and looked like it had huge air bubbles inside. I think some more water may have landed on top.

Anyway flash forward to today and I had exploding/smoking ice. Does this make sense to anyone? Is there any way to get this to happen again? Did it have anything to do with the water temperature or refilling the other side of the ice tray? Thanks guys

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Ice expands as it freezes, when you put much warmer water over it, it begins to thaw, and rapidly contracts, this puts a lot of stress on the Ice and thus the cracking. It wouldn't have been Smoke, perhaps it was condensation caused by the temperature difference?

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Anyway flash forward to today and I had exploding/smoking ice. Does this make sense to anyone? Is there any way to get this to happen again?

 

The condensation "smoke" effect is enhanced under high humidity, or when there is a lot of particulate matter in the air. If you're looking for a similar/stronger effect, try using dry ice for a thicker fog.

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