Rapid Fire
Mpemba Effect
- 08 Jan 2026
- 2 min read
Scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have developed the first supercomputer-powered simulations to explain the Mpemba effect.
- Mpemba effect: It is the phenomenon where hotter water freezes faster than colder water.
- Aristotle first noted the effect in Meteorologica, and it was rediscovered in the 20th century by Erasto Mpemba, after whom it is named.
- JNCASR Study Findings: The study shows that water does not freeze directly but passes through short-lived intermediate molecular states.
- Depending on the starting temperature, water can remain trapped in these states for different durations.
- Hotter water can sometimes bypass these delays and reach ice nucleation faster than colder water, explaining why hot water may freeze first.
- The findings confirm that the Mpemba effect is real and not limited to water, as it can occur in other fluid-to-solid phase transitions.
- The study deepens understanding of out-of-equilibrium phenomena, offers insights for better cooling and thermal control in next-generation electronics, and marks a major breakthrough in nonequilibrium physics, resolving long-standing experimental and theoretical debates.
| Read more: Mpemba Effect |
