Does Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold Water?
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN cites it as a concise rundown of why the Mpemba effect likely does not hold up.
What it is
Sciencium examines the Mpemba effect, the claim that hot water freezes faster than cold water. It walks through experiments and a published paper questioning the effect.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2020 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Cites aaron695 · 2020-08 · on “The physics of why hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold water”
We all get the Mpemba effect is totally fake right? You all own freezers so you can test it for yourself, it was found by a child making icecream so it will be easy! And if you're the !first! to put it on Youtube that'd be cool. Sciencium talks about it here if you want an ok run down and how it's not real - [this video]
Cites simonjgreen · 2022-06 · on “Controversy continues over whether hot water freezes faster than cold”
There was a video by Derek/Veritasium as few years ago explaining this and also walking through all the experiments that demonstrate the effect does not in fact exist. [this video]
Cites chotmat · 2026-03 · on “LLMs Predict My Coffee”
It's because you was wrong (or at least not correct). The Mpemba Effect wasn't scientifically proven, and can be explained away with error in measurement. [this video]