A little background information: In Greek tradition there is a think called the evil eye, which is sort of a curse that is put on a person. You don't really need details about that. Apparently to find out if someone has the evil eye put on them, you take a glass of water and drip one drop of oil from your fingertip into the water. If the oil stays in globular form (like you would expect, since oil and water don't mix), you're fine. If, however, the oil dissolves, you have the evil eye. You keep dropping until the oil stays globular three times in a row, and then you're said to be cured.
Now personally, I don't believe in silly superstition and I think there's an explination for everything. My grandparents and uncle, however, swear they have witnessed the oil completely dissolving in the water to the point you can't see it at all on multiple separate occasions. They challenged me to find a scientific explination for why this happens. Anyone have any ideas?
2007-05-26 13:07:18 · 2 answers · asked by jennifurret 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry