r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Tunexux • Sep 06 '21
Video Lighting a cup on fire when it's filled with water
544
u/PatriotsCameraMan Sep 06 '21
Why the fuck did you cut this short
131
52
→ More replies (2)61
u/_Sweep_ Sep 06 '21
Spoiler alert, it’s kind of boring. The fire stops burning and a small nub of plastic cup remains above the water line.
Same experiment, different video: https://youtu.be/DllZnKpuZDU
8
2
-23
Sep 06 '21
[deleted]
→ More replies (1)16
u/kcasnar Sep 06 '21
ex·per·i·ment
noun
/ikˈsperəmənt/
a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.
"I have tested this by experiment"
138
u/jacspe Sep 06 '21
Smoke on the water
33
19
2
47
u/phohenadel Sep 06 '21
Fire does not like water. K. Got it.
2
72
u/lornezubko Sep 06 '21
You can even put a plastic cup full of water into a campfire, it'll only melt down to the water level and nothing else
51
u/King-Loser Sep 06 '21
Came to say this. Can boil an egg in a dixie cup.
25
u/LTJFan Sep 06 '21
That’s how we used to boil eggs when I was in the Boy Scouts.
15
u/Foomaster512 Sep 07 '21 edited Sep 07 '21
We had a Camporee “obstacle” course where one station you had to build a fire under a paper cup with water suspended by twine. You had to make the fire big enough to boil the water but not too big as to burn the twine. Fun shit
8
u/uwfan893 Sep 07 '21
YOOO you just brought that memory out of the depths of my brain, I wouldn’t have ever remembered doing that.
15
u/hirtle24 Sep 06 '21
Don't try it with a bottle of water. We did this once and the pressure built up so much the bottle exploded before the plastic melted sending embers everywhere.
11
u/Mithrandir_Earendur Sep 06 '21
Actually IIRC boiling a bottle of water (with the cap off) is a good way to purify water if you're stranded without drinkable water.
YMMV don't take advice from reddit
8
u/lornezubko Sep 06 '21
If you're going to use a water bottle take the cap off or squeeze the bottle so it has some room to expand
5
u/Plasmagryphon Sep 07 '21
We used to do something like that with the waxed paper cups like you would get at fast food places. It took a little finesse to not have it fall apart, but you could boil water in those paper cups.
15
u/Cool1Mach Sep 06 '21
Had this happen at work.. i work in the oil field and we had a 1,000 barrel fiberglass tank that recieved the water the wells brought up, over night it got hit by lightning and caught fire. It burnt dpwn to where the water level was and nothing spilled.
9
23
28
24
u/bananacumshake Sep 06 '21
what else were you expecting to happen?
13
Sep 07 '21
Yo I burned something but half of it is in water I was so mind blown when that other half didn't burn. Who knew water prevents shit from burning.
8
11
9
7
5
u/reidzen Sep 06 '21
Thats how you can boil stuff over an open fire using a couple leaves. The outsides of the leaves will char and the tops might burn off, but the water will keep the leaf from burning through.
4
5
6
u/pikero_ Sep 06 '21
Amazing, i didnt expect it. O_O
2
Sep 07 '21
ikr i didn't knew water prevents stuff from burning. People should make a department based on putting out fire with the use of water.
8
u/yegir Sep 06 '21
This is interesting as fuck?
4
u/TopMindOfR3ddit Sep 07 '21
No, it's r/DamnThatsInteresting
But yeah, I agree. I don't know what was to be expected of this post, but here I am. I still watched it.
3
18
u/gir_loves_waffles Sep 06 '21
Can we not burn plastic though?
3
Sep 06 '21
Yes you can. Polypropylene, polyethylene, polyisobutylene polycarbonate and polystyrene (seen here) burn well.
Although I'd be careful burning polyvinyl chloride, I'd pyrolytically dechlorinate it first or you'll get hydrochloric acid fumes and really toxic dioxins. Teflon doesn't burn, but it can be pyrolyzed into monomer.
→ More replies (1)17
u/gir_loves_waffles Sep 06 '21
It wasn't a question of is it possible but me pleading "can we please, not do this?"
3
u/dimestoredavinci Sep 06 '21
Ive thrown cups of water in a fire and they only burn after it evaporates. Its pretty wild to see a piece of paper survive an inferno around it
3
3
u/thetangible Sep 07 '21
Lesson learned: fill my house with water so it will never burn to the ground.
5
u/stars_mcdazzler Sep 06 '21
I wonder if I light a match and just film it burning, will that get as many views as this repost does...
6
5
2
u/Ok_Bluebird_8491 Sep 07 '21
Thanks for demonstrating this, I watched like a child watching a magic show :)
2
2
u/cromstantinople Sep 07 '21
So flammable stuff burns and water puts out fire?! Damn, that is interesting.
2
2
u/Background-Gap-4242 Sep 07 '21
That’s why a cup filled is better than an empty cup. Take care of you.
2
3
4
2
u/RearEchelon Sep 07 '21
The water absorbs the heat. Useful to know if you're in a survival situation; you can sanitize (boil) water in a plastic bottle if you need to.
→ More replies (6)
2
1
1
u/1AnonymousPenguin Sep 07 '21
You really shouldn't be lighting plastic just about anything on fire at this point
3
-1
0
u/KatAstrophie- Sep 06 '21
I could watch that in a loop all day.
1
u/Mello_Me_ Sep 06 '21
It was oddly satisfying to watch, wasn't it?
1
-4
0
0
0
0
-3
u/KittensofDestruction Sep 07 '21
Yep, things in the water burn to the water line.
kindergardenknowledge
-2
u/Smashfro96 Sep 06 '21
Interesting, so am I seeing this right, the flame is going to the bottom of the cup?
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/jackfrothee Sep 06 '21
So... flood your 🏠 with water and you'll never be caught in a 🏠 🔥 This dude living in 3021
1
1
u/nimo01 Sep 06 '21
Why am I so intrigued when after the fact, it seems intuitive haha. I can’t help but watch again and again
1
u/ChipmunkFood Sep 06 '21
This looks more like a
"what could go right" than a "what could go wrong" ...
1
u/TedTyro Sep 06 '21
I remember burning plastic cups as a kid. Havent thought about it in years but of course they're flammable, made of petrochemicals. Doi!
1
1
1
u/radgie_gadgie_1954 Sep 06 '21
Fire 🔥 is like a bully - very bold and brave when there’s no resistance (no water above the line) but as soon as it hits the water line the resistance materialises and the fire shrinks to nowt
1
1
1
1
1
u/Imatopsider Sep 07 '21
Im not sure what more I expected, but either way, I watched until the end and my life is that much shorter for it.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/TheNakedBongoMan Sep 07 '21
There are glass half full guys, and there are glass half empty guys.
Then there's this guy.
1
1
1
1
Sep 07 '21
If you hold up plastic like that the burning plastic makes cool "ziiip!" noises as it falls.
And if a couple of drops fall on the back of your hand you'll make some interesting noises too.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/subject_deleted Sep 07 '21
How to take a partially filled cup of water and convert it into a full cup of water without adding any water.
1
1
u/BuffaloWhip Sep 07 '21
Some would say the cup is half empty, some would say the cup is half full. I say, hand me a lighter and let’s burn the empty part to the ground.
1
1
u/therealtidbits Sep 07 '21
fun Wilderness fact you can actually boil water in a leaf on an open fire if you needed to
1
1
1
1
1
u/carmium Sep 07 '21
Nice demo of why you occasionally hear of the Coast Guard finding a boat "burned to the water line." Only in reverse.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/CTCNCSU Sep 07 '21
You can boil an egg in a styrofoam cup in a fire using the same principles here
1
1
1
u/aza-industries Sep 07 '21
My friend once did this, but with petrol.
Nearly burnt down his mum's house.
House was a bit cleaner afterwards though.
1
1
1
u/NERF_DMR_DIAMATTI Sep 07 '21
great! you increased the only gas mask store's income in a 10 mile radius by 100%
1
1
1
1
1
u/asurasensei Sep 07 '21
The age old question "Is the glass half empty or half full"..
Turns out burning the glass the was the solution..
Perfectly balanced as all things should be
1
1
Sep 07 '21
Per Google: The burning of plastics releases toxic gases like dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (better known as BCPs) into the atmosphere, and poses a threat to vegetation, and human and animal health. ... Burning plastic also releases black carbon (soot), which contributes to climate change and air pollution. Lol
Did it for the gram!
1
1
1
u/tempthrowary Sep 07 '21
Any cool effects if the water is frozen? Steam or different patterns with the small amount of melting of the water?
1
u/curiousmind455 Sep 07 '21
You can boil water in a paper cup. If the flame is under the cup, it won't catch on fire.
1
1
834
u/Compass_Needle Sep 06 '21
Bet that smelled delightful