The ‘Rupert’s Drop’ is nearly unbreakable, watch what happens when they shoot it

It takes a little bit of explanation to truly appreciate how awesome this video is, but if you’re just here to watch something explode skip ahead to the 1:50 minute mark.

For those who have never heard of it, the Prince Rupert’s Drop is a weird freak of physics that is both nearly indestructible and incredibly fragile at the same time.

Long story short, when super-heated molten glass is poured into water, it immediately cools and forms a glass droplet with a bulbous head and long skinny tail.

The head can withstand an incredible amount of force, far beyond the standard properties of the unheated glass. The tail, however, is incredibly fragile and when it breaks a chain reaction causes the entire drop to instantly shatter.

Watch the slow motion playback. When they shoot the drop, the head remains perfectly intact, but the vibration causes the tail to break. In slow motion you can clearly see the chain reaction start at the tail and spread up to the head.