The frozen water bottle

[chicot60]

To all you science gurus out there, explain this one.........
SooToday.com reader Phil Sabine is puzzled by what happened when he left bottled water in his truck during freezing weather. Watch this video, and if you explain the odd phenomenon he demonstrates.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O47-QOWRTrk

[hutch]

yeah chico,
That happens with other liquids too. I remember hoisting a case of bud up into a 100' Star Gum tree in a park in New England on a snow day in my younger days. 5 of us climbed it only to have the beer freeze in our hands as soon as we opened one...lol

[swingbozo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercooling


and for more verbiage:



http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=19036


The absence of impurities in "fancy water" is the cause of this. Without some "flaw" to initiate crystallization, water will supercool. When disturbed, it's enough of an incentive to get the water to start crystallization.

It appears this is a fairly common science expirement:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/bang/handson/super_cool.shtml