Park ranger demonstrates flash freezing a water bottle in frigid Texas

WTVD logo
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Video: Park ranger demonstrates flash freezing a water bottle
This park ranger was able to freeze a water bottle just by shaking it.

With temperatures dipping to 12 degrees at Fairfield Lake State Park in Texas, a park ranger was able to demonstrate a cool trick in which he froze a bottle of water just by shaking it.

The ranger was not performing a magic trick. In fact, there is a scientific explanation for the flash freezing of the water.

The water temperature was below freezing, but ice crystals did not form due to a lack of particles.

According to IFLScience.com. "Water is typically full of particles and impurities which have no problem kicking off the crystallization process. However, purified water by definition doesn't have those impurities. With nothing for the water molecules to latch onto, purified water can be supercooled as far as -40 degrees C."

Shaking the bottle began a chain reaction of crystallization, freezing the bottle instantly.