Artificial Hailstorm
On Tuesday I heard something very interesting on the news – some researchers were trying to make artificial hail! They thought that artificial hail is not very realistic when it’s made of pure frozen water. They made it from 80% seltzer water and 20% tap water. The seltzer water makes bubbles in the hail so that the hail will seem more realistic. Over four minutes, the researchers battered a house, a car, and some patio furniture. The house, car, and furniture were stationed on a spinning round turntable. The house’s roof was made of many different materials. Then, the researchers unleashed hailstones of various sizes at speeds of up to 76 mph. The project was sponsored by an insurance company because the company wanted to know which kind of material stood up the best to hail. The project itself cost around half a million dollars. I’m not sure the project was really worth it!