“Dutch tears” or
“Batavian tears” are an illustration of one of the interesting properties of
glass. It's popularly to call them "drops of Prince Rupert." Making a
drop of Prince Rupert is not difficult. Simply take the red-hot glass and drip
it into a bucket of water. Water quickly cools the outer surface of the glass,
while inside the temperature remains high. When the glass finally cools inside,
it shrinks inside the already solid outer shell. This creates a very strong
strain.
 |
| Drops of Prince Rupert |
 |
| The Drop of Prince Rupert |
Prince Rupert showed interest in scientific
experiments, he was one of the founders of the Royal Society. In particular,
the prince experimented with the production of gunpowder (the method he
proposed made gunpowder 10 times more efficient than Chinese), tried to improve
guns, invented an alloy known as “Prince's metal”, and also developed a device
for, so to speak, deep-sea diving, tried to improve surgical tools and was the
author of outstanding engravings. As for the Botava Tears, most likely, such
glass drops had been known to glassblowers since time immemorial, but they
attracted the attention of scientists quite late: somewhere in the middle of
the XVII century. They appeared in Europe (according to various sources, in
Holland, Denmark or Germany). They were brought to England by Prince Rupert of
Pfalz, which is why they began, following somebody's example, to be called
Prince Rupert’s drops.
