Psychedelic Slow-Motion Footage of a Hammer Shattering a Mirror at 875,000 Frames Per Second
Gavin Free of the Slow Mo Guys captured super-slow-motion footage of a mirror being struck by a hammer, shattering into thousands of pieces, recreating an experiment he and Dan Gruchy did in 2016.
You may remember several years ago, we threw a hammer at a mirror, and I’ve looked back at that footage many times in complete bewilderment that upon impact, the hammer makes a small ripple in the mirror. Back then, we only had one mirror, so basically one slow-mo attempt. So, I’ve got a lot more today. And a camera that goes much faster.
After he plunged the hammer into the reflective glass, Gruchy noticed distinct shockwave patterns and determined that the mirror bends before it breaks. The only way to make it better was to add colorful gallium lights. He then captured the footage at an incredible 875,000 FPS.
That’s is pretty psychedelic. I don’t know what I’m looking at there. Looks like a glass peacock exploded. …Good lord. It’s like someone threw a hammer through someone’s dream.
The 2016 Experiment
