Eli5 Why empty plastic bottles bounce and liquid filled plastic bottles pop or explode?

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I’ve seen people drop milk and other drinks and often the bottle opens up or bursts. I’ve also noticed that the less liquid there is, it doesn’t pop open. This applying from any force from throwing and dropping the bottles. What exactly causes this to happen?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

To bounce, the bottle must change shape to absorb the energy of the impact and then return to its original shape afterward.

To explode, it must change shape in such a way as to no longer hold whatever’s inside of it (it must break). This usually happens when it changes shape *too much* and the just plastic gives up.

First, filling a bottle with liquid makes it *way* heavier. That means it has lots and lots more energy to absorb when it lands.

Second, while water cannot be squished, air *can*. When the bottle lands, the squishing of the air can hold some of the energy, reducing how much the plastic has to deal with.

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