Rationalists Argue ‘Bubble Effect’ Behind Infants Coming Out Unscathed
Anil Kumar M & Rishikesh Bahadur Desai | TNN
Bangalore/Hubli: Was it hot or not? That’s the burning question after recent incidents of babies being dunked in boiling water and bubbling oil. While God-fearing people call it a miracle, rationalists give a scientific explanation.
In Hubli on Sunday, Mohan Guru Swami, head priest of Lord Ayyappa Temple, boiled nearly 10 kg of oil and then dipped a year-old baby into the pan for a split second. Recently, in Bijapur, a three-month-old infant was dipped into a vessel of boiling water and lifted out. In both cases, the babies apparently didn’t suffer any injuries.
Narendra Nayak, a post-graduate in medical biochemistry and national president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, an apex body of more than 65 atheists, rationalists and humanist groups in India, told TOI that this is due to the bubbling effect.
“When two viscous liquids of different specific gravities are mixed and slightly heated, the heavier one creates an impression being brought to boil. Bubbles rise to the top and the froth-like formation coupled with fumes make people believe it is boiling. Since no one puts a thermometer into the liquid, people can claim that the liquid is boiling,” Nayak said.
This is the Leidenfrost effect, in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than its boiling point, produces an insulating vapour layer that keeps that liquid from boiling rapidly. It’s seen most commonly when cooking. One sprinkles drops of water in a frying pan to gauge its temperature. If the pan’s temperature is at or above the Leidenfrost point, the water skitters across the metal and takes longer to evaporate. The effect is named after Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost who explained it in ‘A Tract About Some Qualities of Common Water’ in 1756.
“It has also been used in some dangerous demonstrations, such as dipping a wet finger in molten lead and blowing out a mouthful of liquid nitrogen, both enacted without injury to the demonstrator,’’ Nayak said.
As part of his campaign to expose so-called miracles and debunk superstitions, Nayak has conducted about 2,000 demonstrations in India, Australia, England, and Greece. Recently, he was in Hyderabad to show that fried bhajjis could be removed from boiling oil by hand using this principle. The same experiment will be conducted in Mangalore on January 16.
MYTH BUSTED?
Nobody has checked the temperature of boiling oil in Hubli
A few lemons are squeezed and the juice put in a frying pan
Oil or water is added to it before heating
As the pan is heated, oil or water starts to bubble
Onlookers think oil is boiling but it is only bubble effect
Temperature of oil or water will not be more than room temperature
— Narendra Nayak, national president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations
In Hubli on Sunday, Mohan Guru Swami, head priest of Lord Ayyappa Temple, boiled nearly 10 kg of oil and then dipped a year-old baby into the pan for a split second. Recently, in Bijapur, a three-month-old infant was dipped into a vessel of boiling water and lifted out. In both cases, the babies apparently didn’t suffer any injuries.
Narendra Nayak, a post-graduate in medical biochemistry and national president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, an apex body of more than 65 atheists, rationalists and humanist groups in India, told TOI that this is due to the bubbling effect.
“When two viscous liquids of different specific gravities are mixed and slightly heated, the heavier one creates an impression being brought to boil. Bubbles rise to the top and the froth-like formation coupled with fumes make people believe it is boiling. Since no one puts a thermometer into the liquid, people can claim that the liquid is boiling,” Nayak said.
This is the Leidenfrost effect, in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than its boiling point, produces an insulating vapour layer that keeps that liquid from boiling rapidly. It’s seen most commonly when cooking. One sprinkles drops of water in a frying pan to gauge its temperature. If the pan’s temperature is at or above the Leidenfrost point, the water skitters across the metal and takes longer to evaporate. The effect is named after Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost who explained it in ‘A Tract About Some Qualities of Common Water’ in 1756.
“It has also been used in some dangerous demonstrations, such as dipping a wet finger in molten lead and blowing out a mouthful of liquid nitrogen, both enacted without injury to the demonstrator,’’ Nayak said.
As part of his campaign to expose so-called miracles and debunk superstitions, Nayak has conducted about 2,000 demonstrations in India, Australia, England, and Greece. Recently, he was in Hyderabad to show that fried bhajjis could be removed from boiling oil by hand using this principle. The same experiment will be conducted in Mangalore on January 16.
MYTH BUSTED?
Nobody has checked the temperature of boiling oil in Hubli
A few lemons are squeezed and the juice put in a frying pan
Oil or water is added to it before heating
As the pan is heated, oil or water starts to bubble
Onlookers think oil is boiling but it is only bubble effect
Temperature of oil or water will not be more than room temperature
— Narendra Nayak, national president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations
A baby is dipped in boiling oil at the Ayyappaswamy temple in Hubli on Sunday
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment