– I was sitting in the truck, eating lunch. Suddenly, I saw smoke out of the corner of my eye – says the driver in a video recording. It turned out that the rays passing through the bottle of water heated the seat to such an extent that it began to burn.
Not only the glass bottle can act like a lens, focusing the sun’s rays and strongly heating the surface underneath, leading to inflammation. Something similar can also happen with a container of light plastic.
A single case? There were more tests
American Dioni Amuchasteguia left a bottle of water in the sun, burning two holes in the upholstery of the front seat.
Surprised, he repeated the experiment again, this time using a thermometer. It turned out that the bottle heated to 213 degrees Fahrenheit (or over 100 degrees Celsius!).
A firefighter from Midwest City in Oklahoma – David Richardson – also had his own experience. Using a bottle of water left in the sun, he successfully burned a hole in a piece of paper. He stipulated, however, that this is not always possible. First of all, the bottle must be made of light plastic, also filled with a light liquid, preferably with water, as much as possible.
If it was empty or partially filled, it probably would not work like a lens – he argued, quoted by the abc7.com portal.
Photo: Pizabay/Hans/public domain