Supercool Science Trick: How to Turn Water into Ice on Command

This is an awesome little science trick that has to be seen to be believed. Simply by emptying a bottle of "supercooled" water into a glass, you can watch it turn into ice right as your pour! It's no magic trick or chemical craziness—it's normal water and you can try it yourself right in your own home.

The scientific concept behind the phenomenon is known as "supercooling," and in layman's terms, it's the process of lowering the temperature of a liquid below its normal freezing point, but without it actually freezing. It can be pretty tricky, but you don't need anything more than a freezer and some water bottles to try it out.

Components

• 1 full water bottle (filtered water, no flavored or mineral)
• 1 empty water bottle
• Some tap water
• A freezer

Step 1: Freeze Water

Fill the empty water bottle with ordinary tap water. This bottle won't actually be "supercooled", because tap water doesn't work, but it will help us determine the amount of time the filtered water needs to be in the freezer. Take both full bottles of water and place them in the freezer. Let them sit for at least two hours before taking them out.

Step 2: Check Them Every 10 Minutes

The tap water should completely freeze before the filtered water. Once the tap water has frozen, you're good to go. If you miss this window and the filtered water has frozen, you will need to thaw both and start all over again. The idea is to get the filtered water chilled to just before the freezing point.

Step 3: Impress Your Friends

Pour out the supercooled filtered water and watch the insanity. Your friends will think you're a wizard. You can also just smack the bottle to turn it into ice instantly, like so...

This process will work with other beverages, too, like beer, but the trick with any of them is figuring out the exact right moment to pull them out. Wait too long and you'll just have a frozen chunk of boring ice. No one's impressed by that.