Why does fire make water flow upward? Revealing the scientific phenomenon that has been hotly discussed on the Internet recently
Recently, an experimental video in which "flame makes water flow upstream" went viral on major social platforms, triggering heated discussions among netizens on the principles of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. This article will combine hotspot data from the entire network in the past 10 days and use structured analysis to reveal the scientific mystery behind this phenomenon.
1. Analysis of popularity data across the entire network
| platform | Related topic readings | amount of discussion | Hot search highest ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 230 million | 185,000 | TOP3 | |
| Tik Tok | 170 million plays | 92,000 comments | Popular science list TOP1 |
| Station B | 6.8 million views | 34,000 comments | Popular on the whole site |
| Zhihu | 4.2 million views | 3256 answers | Science topic list |
2. Core principles of experimental phenomena
By combing through the interpretation of the authoritative popular science account @Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, this phenomenon involves the following key mechanisms:
| stage | physical process | Data parameters |
|---|---|---|
| heating stage | The flame heats and expands the air at the bottom of the glass tube | Temperature rises 200-300℃ |
| air pressure changes | The density of hot air decreases creating a low pressure area | The air pressure difference is about 0.5-1kPa |
| liquid movement | Atmospheric pressure pushes water into low pressure areas | The flow rate can reach 3-5cm/s |
3. Top 5 hot topics discussed by netizens
According to Zhihu topic word cloud analysis, the controversy mainly focuses on:
| Disputed points | support rate | Opposition rate |
|---|---|---|
| Does it violate the conservation of energy? | 82% | 18% |
| Is it possible to achieve perpetual motion? | 15% | 85% |
| Everyday application possibilities | 63% | 37% |
4. Comparison of similar phenomena in history
A review of scientific literature revealed that similar phenomena have long been documented:
| time | researcher | Key findings |
|---|---|---|
| 1805 | Thomas Young | First description of thermocapillary convection |
| 1983 | NASA experiment | Variation of flame morphology in microgravity environment |
| 2019 | MIT team | Quantitative calculation of flame-induced airflow |
5. The deep inspiration behind the phenomenon
1.Energy conversion visualization: This experiment vividly demonstrates the conversion chain of thermal energy → kinetic energy → potential energy. The average completion rate of related videos under the topic #ScienceExperiment on Douyin reached 78%.
2.Modern interpretation of classic physics: The Weibo topic #New Application of Bernoulli’s Law has been read more than 50 million times, indicating that there is still room for exploration in basic theory.
3.New Paradigm of Popular Science Communication: According to data from Station B, the amount of interaction with content that combines entertainment and knowledge is 3.2 times that of pure instructional videos.
Currently, the daily new content on this topic across the entire network still maintains a growth rate of 23%, and it is expected to continue to ferment in the coming week. It is recommended to pay attention to #FluidMechanicsChallenge and other derivative topics to keep abreast of the latest discussion trends.
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