Shadowing Practice: Bare Hand Bottle Busting- Science Investigation - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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- Today I am here with Kevin, more commonly known as the Backyard Scientist.
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And as fate would have it, we are actually in- - The backyard.
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- So I recently made a video where I converted a leaf blower into a snowball machine gun and the first thing he said was- - You should set those on fire.
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- So as soon as I got here today, we- But flaming snowballs aren't actually why I'm here today.
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Show 'em why I'm here today, Kevin.
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So I actually don't drink, but I've heard of people doing this with beer bottles.
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So either Kevin has some superpowers, or there's some crazy physics going on there that we're gonna try and figure out today.
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- So neither of us really knows what causes these bottles to break and there's a lot of conflicting evidence out there but we have some of our own ideas.
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- So as firm believers in the scientific method, we are going to science our way to the right answer through a bunch of experiments.
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- I'll drink to that.
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- Not yet you won't, Kevin. - I've heard that one of the reasons people think it's breaking is because when they slam their hand down on it, they're forcing a bunch of air in the bottle and that causes the bottom to shoot out.
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- So in this experiment, we're testing the pressure wave theory, where when a person hits it with their hand, they force a bunch of air in that then creates a pressure wave that pushes out the bottom of the bottle.
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So we've put a cap on the top, so there's no way to force air in.
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We're using a rubber mallet just to be more consistent for all of the hits.
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One. The bottle broke, even though the cap was on, and there was no way to force air in, so we are rejecting this theory.
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- We think carbonation might have something to do with it.
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- Okay so to isolate that, we have one beer that's carbonated, one with water, and then we filled this one with sparkling water.
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So if these two don't break and this one breaks, I think we've isolated that it works better without carbonation.
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- Yes. - So this bottle is filled with sparkling water, so the theory is that it shouldn't break.
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And now for the beer, the bottle didn't break, but that was interesting how much it fizzed up.
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So as it turns out, here's why that happens.
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When you hit the bottle, it moves down really fast, but the liquid hasn't started moving yet.
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That creates an empty gap down here, that's basically a vacuum or really low pressure.
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And if the drink is carbonated, the CO2 from the liquid gets sucked into that vacuum and fills it with CO2 gas bubbles.
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And since these bubbles are less dense than the drink, they rise up through the liquid and create a chain reaction of more bubbles as they go.
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Now finally, we test the water, and just like with the carbonated liquids, you see this vacuum form on the bottom.
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Except this time the bottle breaks.
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So theory number two is confirmed, non-carbonated liquids work better.
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But now we just have to figure out why.
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What are they doing differently to make the bottle actually break?
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- So what I think is breaking the bottle is the momentum of the water going back and filling the vacuum is causing the bottom to break out.
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- And I think the break is happening a little bit earlier.
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When the vacuum is formed like the air outside is at 14 PSI and so it's pushing in on the vacuum.
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So it's before the water rebounds, it's actually cracking because the difference in pressure.
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- Well we'll find out.
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- Round three. Fight!
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- So we're gonna add some red dye and then we're gonna slow the camera down to like 7,000 frames per second to see precisely the moment when it happens.
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One. So if I'm right, okay, bottle, it should break right there.
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- No. - Yes! - You punk.
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Yeah so you're definitely right.
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- Yeah. - It ruptured when the water is coming back right?
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- Cracks right after it hits the bottom.
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- So Kevin was right. In fact, it turns out that water cavity collapses 10 times faster than it formed, which creates a force higher than the initial hit on the bottle, which is why it doesn't break right away.
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So now that you know the science, if you want to impress your friends with this trick, here are a couple important tips.
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Number one, hit the bottle and not your hand.
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You want to make as much energy from your strike go into moving the bottle and not just being reacted by your hand.
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You can even get the neck of the bottle a little wet and then let it slip a bit when you hit it, just to make sure it's moving.
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Number two, like we discovered, use water or something non-carbonated.
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Otherwise, the carbonation just fills in that vacuum and cushions the rebound force.
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Number three, a liquid with a high vapor pressure is good.
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If you use a liquid with a high vapor pressure that means the vacuum you need at the bottom of the bottle will form much easier, so hot water is a lot better than cold water because the vapor pressure's higher.
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Nail polish remover also works well for the same reason.
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Number four, be safe, this is glass, and glass can cut you if you're not careful where it lands.
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Number five, don't chicken out.
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It hurts way more if you don't follow through.
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Plus you look like this.
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- Oh, I heard it. Did it hurt?
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Bare Hand Bottle Busting- Science Investigation”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: bottle, break, vacuum, liquid, bottom. This video has 57 sentences and 948 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:25. The speaker talks at a natural 175 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vacuum noun | /ˈvæ.kjuːm/ | A region of space that contains no matter. |
| carbonated adjective | /ˈkɑɹ.bəˌneɪ.təd/ | Containing carbon dioxide gas under pressure, especially pertaining to beverages, as natural mineral water or man-made drinks. |
| carbonation noun | The state of having carbon dioxide gas dissolved in a liquid; the act or process of creating that state. | |
| vapor noun | /ˈveɪpɚ/ | Cloudy diffused matter such as mist, steam or fumes suspended in the air. |
| bubble noun | /ˈbʌbəl/ | A spherically contained volume of air or other gas in a liquid, commonly a soapy liquid. |
| snowball noun | /ˈsnoʊbɔl/ | A ball of snow, usually one made in the hand and thrown for amusement in a snowball fight; also a larger ball of snow made by rolling a snowball around in snow… |
| rebound noun | /ˈɹi.baʊnd/ | The recoil of an object bouncing off another. |
| sparkling adjective | /ˈspɑɹkl̩ɪŋ/ | Of an object, reflecting light as if giving off tiny sparks or flashes of light. |
| isolate verb | /ˈaɪ.sə.leɪt/ | To set apart or cut off from others. |
| backyard noun | /bækˈjɑːd/ | A yard to the rear of a house or similar residence. |
| blower noun | /ˈbloʊ.ɚ/ | A person who blows. |
| mallet noun | /ˈmælɪt/ | A type of hammer with a larger-than-usual head made of wood, rubber or similar non-iron material, used by woodworkers for driving a tool, such as a chisel. A… |
| rupture noun | /ˈɹʌpt͡ʃɚ/ | A burst, split, or break. |
| superpower noun | A sovereign state with dominant status on the globe and a very advanced military, especially the United States or formerly the Soviet Union. | |
| cushion noun | /ˈkʊʃən/ | A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
| break out verb | To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly. |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| follow through verb | To execute or complete a commitment. |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
| move down verb | To demote |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've heard · we've put · we've isolated |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is filled · is carbonated · is confirmed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 30 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: carbonated /ˈkɑɹ.bəˌneɪ.təd/, momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like vacuum, carbonated, carbonation.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.