... and I mean that literally. Here he is, supercooling a beer.
[embed width="610"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fURJg-K0A[/embed]
Supercooling is when a liquid is chilled to a temperature below its freezing point, but it remains a liquid. Water, for example, will crystallize when it freezes, but it needs a starting point for that to happen, like a particle of some impurity (a mineral, for example), or the rough wall of its container. If you freeze a container of (distilled) water without jostling it, it's possible to supercool it. If you then carefully remove it from the freezer and shake it or pour it over ice, it'll freeze instantly*
. This is similar to superheating, where a liquid can be heated beyond its boiling point but remain a liquid. This happens all the time for me when I boil water in my microwave using one particular Pyrex measuring cup. I have to be careful -- ...
