Popular Mechanics: Watch This Indestructible Glass Drop Literally Break a Bullet

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Have you heard of the wild, almost indestructible Prince Rupert’s Drop? Science Alert recently unearthed a video from Smarter Every Day that shows this strong-as-hell glass marvel actually shattering a bullet at a beautiful 150,000 frames per second. Behold:

To make a Prince Rupert's Drop, a glass handler lets molten glass drip and fall into a vat of water. What results is like a tadpole with an extra long ropey tail, and the drop part is almost unparalleled in strength. Glassmakers have played with this oddly strong glass for hundreds of years, and the combination of ultra-high-speed cameras and scientific knowhow have made the 21st century a new golden age for ol' Prince Rupert.

The drop of glass forms a classic science mindbender. The tough, strong bulbous end can literally break bullets, but one snap along the very long and thready tail and the entire Prince Rupert’s Drop won't just break—it’ll vaporize, and so quickly that only a high-speed camera can show how the break begins at the tail and makes its way forward. So what’s going on inside this improbable piece of glass?

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