cooled glass tries to contract

Tags: thermal contraction
Categories: Pseudo-explanations

An example of anthropomorphism in science writing:

"It was Robert Hooke who best intuited the principle of [Prince Rupert's drops'] operation. He explained that as the glass suddenly cools upon being dropped into water, its surface forms a hard shell while the interior, slower to solidify, tries to contract, producing a great build-up of tension."

Hugh Aldersley-Williams (2020) Dutch Light. Christiaan Huygens and the making of science in Europe. Picador.

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Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.