Helium escapes by climbing up walls

Yep, this light-as-air gas is a master climber, and here's why it needs to get away

By Smartasaurus· 1 min read Curious

it simply climbs up the walls and hops over the rim

Confidence check

How much of what you believe about this is about to survive?

Stake it now. No takebacks.

The short version

Yep, this light-as-air gas is a master climber, and here's why it needs to get away
This substance can also leak through solid containers.
Curiously, even though we can see it and touch it, this state of matter exists only because of quantum mechanical effects that usually only happen…

Cool helium to -452 degrees Fahrenheit and it stops behaving like a normal liquid. In this state, known as a superfluid, the gas loses all internal friction and begins to defy the fundamental laws of gravity.

Superfluid helium will spontaneously crawl up the sides of a glass beaker. It forms a thin film, precisely 30 nanometers thick, and slides over the rim until the container is empty. This happens because the liquid has zero viscosity, meaning nothing holds its molecules back from moving.

This substance can also leak through solid containers. It finds pores so small that even individual gas molecules struggle to pass through, yet the superfluid flows through them effortlessly. If you stir it, the resulting whirlpool will spin forever because there is no friction to slow the motion down.

Certify this discovery

Two questions. Prove you actually read it.

Get both right and this discovery is certified: +50 XP toward your next rank. No account needed.

How did this hit you?

Free curiosity pack