The Physics of Popcorn [Science Video]

A short video by the folks over at The New York Times taking a look at what exactly happens to popping kernels, before the butter and salt.

The first action, of course, is the split of the hull, which, the researchers point out, is not what makes the noise. That comes from a release of water vapor.

As the kernel expands in milliseconds, the puffy extension shoots out and powers the kernel, still growing, into the air.

[The New York Times]