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26 June 2012
Why does hot water freeze faster than cold water?It seems a simple enough question - yet it has baffled the best brains for at least 2,300 years.
Aristotle agonized over it fruitlessly in the fourth century BC
Roger Bacon in the 13th century used it to advocate the scientific method in his book Opus Majus
Another Bacon, Francis, wrote in his 1620 Novum Organum, that "slightly tepid water freezes more easily than that which is utterly cold" but could not explain why
Descartes was defeated by it in the 17th century AD
Even perplexed 20th and 21st century scientists and intellectuals have swarmed over it without result
Now the Royal Society of Chemistry is offering £1000 to the person or team producing the best and most creative explanation of the phenomenon, known today as The Mpemba Effect.
Competition judges will be looking for an outside-the-box, inventive submission. In addition, the format of the submission should be creative and eye-catching.
Any medium or technology can be employed to make the case, including articles, illustrations or even film.
Submissions can be based on, and reference, existing research. The winning submission will be scientifically sound, and arresting in presentation and delivery.
Aristotle agonized over it fruitlessly in the fourth century BC