Burning rope trick
Question: When I was working at a fire research centre some years ago, a
co-worker and I noticed that burning droplets of polyethylene emitted a buzzing
sound as they fell. We never worked out why.
Recently, I duplicated the phenomenon and photographed the test. I took a
clear polyethylene bag of the kind used by dry cleaners and laundries to protect
clean clothes, and formed it into a rope with knots along its length. I then
hung the rope outside on a windless night and set it alight at the bottom.
I had set up my camera…
