Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
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This is polyethylene oxide. It might not sound like much fun, but this flubber-like liquid has a very cool party trick.
Polyethylene oxide is a polymer, meaning it’s made of a really long chain of molecules that are all strongly held together. In this compound, the bonds between molecules are so strong, they do whatever they can to stay together. So, as Steve Mould showcases in this video, if you get a beaker full of polyethylene oxide and slightly tip it, causing it to spill out over the top, it will appear to pour itself, seemingly against the law of gravity. Strange stuff.
But where would you find polyethylene oxide? As Steve points out, it’s the stuff on the lubricating strip on shavers, but it’s also found in toothpaste, lotions, printer ink, and, ahem, “personal lubricants".
[H/T Popular Science]
