Was playing Don’t Break the Ice today and I was wondering if someone could explain the science concept behind what holds the ice pieces together. Preferably a little deeper than just “pressure of pieces in a small space.” I looked online but it didn’t help me out very much lol.
Eta this is literally to explain it to a 5 year old
In: 446
Look carefully at the edges of the tray. You will see plastic flaps that stick slightly outwards. Despite how they look and being made of plastic, these are actually springs.
Now, when a spring is stretched or compressed, it tries to return to the original resting position. Doing so exerts a force. If you line all the ice blocks up and measure them, you will note that they are slightly longer than the hole formed by the plastic springs. So when you put the ice blocks into the tray, it compresses the springs outwards. The springs try to push back in, squeezing the blocks just like your fingers do when you pick something up.
As a result, as long as a line of blocks is unbroken, the only ice cube that falls is the one that is tapped outwards.
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