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ScienceSurprise 5/5Difficulty 4/5Reviewed on September 14, 2026

The Prince Rupert's drop breaks easily with a hammer.

Why it is true

The Prince Rupert's drop is a drop of molten glass cooled in water. The head is so resistant that it withstands hammer blows, but if the tail thread is broken, the drop explodes violently into thousands of fragments, releasing the internal tension.

Source: Nature

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