Scott is an intelligent boy who, among other things, is fully au fait with basic theories of Physics. His younger brother Gavin, however is vain and idle, who whiles away his time practising his fake magical powers. Gavin also believes himself superior to Scott in intelligence.
Accordingly, Gavin challenges Scott to a little competition whereby, the first to get 5 ounces of water to freeze will be declared the most intelligent guy at their residence. They set up some rules as follows:
- Each of them can only use normal water that comes out of their stainless steel faucet.
- They both must use identical containers.
- They both must use the same freezer at the same time.
Now, it is a do-or-die situation for Scott as his prowess in Physics has been called into question.
How will Scott have the best chance of winning over Gavin?
An electric charge on a surface can significantly raise the freezing point of supercooled water.
(Reference) Who knew?
So, if the brothers use conducting containers, and the water happens to supercool first, and Scott is able to positively charge his container, he may gain the edge.
The problem here is that tap water is unlikely to supercool (crystalize below 0 C). This is phenomenon usually associated with distilled or purified water.
Edited on April 11, 2022, 10:22 am
another way
