What you see here is an example of the Leidenfrost effect.
When a liquid comes into contact with an object that is much hotter than the boiling point of the liquid, a layer of vapor forms that insulates the liquid from the hot object.
We've all seen this phenomenon in action: If you flick droplets of water onto a really hot griddle, they bead up and skitter around rather than simply boiling away. That's because they are riding on a thin layer of steam that insulates the droplet of water from the heat of the griddle.
In this case, when you drop a red hot steel ball into water like bellow - the object is so hot that it gets encased in a layer of water vapor.
Watch:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgOlR0XZkBI
Read & learn:
http://www.engineersedge.com/physics/leidenfrost_effect_13089.htm
Boiling & the Leidenfrost effect:
http://www.wiley.com/college/phy/halliday320005/pdf/leidenfrost_essay.pdf
h/t FYFD
#physics #leidenfrosteffect
