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The Very Weird Reason Hot Water Freezes Faster

Season 14 Episode 9 | 14m 50s

Why can hot water sometimes freeze faster than cold water? In 1963, Erasto Mpemba noticed this while making ice cream, sparking a scientific mystery that still puzzles physicists. The Mpemba effect now appears in materials, magnets and quantum systems, revealing surprising connections between energy, equilibrium and the strange ways nature finds shortcuts.

Aired: 08/17/26
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