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  • 2016-03-15 (xsd:date)
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  • Viral Video: Pouring Molten Copper Over a Big Mac (no)
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  • On 10 March 2016, a video showing molten copper being poured over a McDonald's Big Mac, supposedly demonstrating that food's indestructible properties, went viral on social media: Many viewers were shocked to see that the molten copper initially rolled off the meat patty, which prompted them to share the video with disparaging remarks about the quality of McDonald's food. The video was also featured in a variety of articles, many of which claimed that the footage was proof of the indestructible and indigestible properties of the McDonald's Big Mac: The video was uploaded to YouTube by Tito4e, a filmmaker who has built a following by pouring molten copper over everything from a McDonald's Big Mac to Nike Air Jordan sneakers to popcorn: While the video footage is real, it doesn't demonstrate any indestructible aspects of a Big Mac. In fact, the results showcased in this video (just like experiments with seemingly non-rotting hamburgers) could likely be replicated with any burger (or similar food item), regardless of brand. Rather, the video is an example of the Leidenfrost effect, which is defined by Engineers Edge as a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid's boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly. In other words, the moisture in the Big Mac instantly boiled when it came in contact with the molten copper, and the resulting steam created an insulating layer which initially protected the burger. This made it look like the molten copper was simply bouncing off the Big Mac patty. The Discovery Channel show Mythbusters demonstrated this effect in 2009 by showing that you could dip your hand into molten lead without getting burned: While Tito4e does not have any other videos featuring molten copper being poured over a burger, he does have a video showing molten copper being poured over a steak. And just as in the Big Mac video, the t-bone steak video starts with the eerie sight of molten copper, with a temperature close to 2000°F, rolling off the meat: (en)
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