---
title: Leidenfrost effect
date: "2002-01-13T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 1488
description: Explore how the Leidenfrost effect allows for firewalking by creating a thin layer of insulating vapor between your feet and hot coals. This physics phenomenon explains why water beads on a hot pan or liquid nitrogen skims surfaces.
keywords: [leidenfrost effect, firewalking, thermodynamics, heat transfer, vapor barrier, film boiling]
---

The [Leidenfrost effect](http://www.varsity.utoronto.ca/archives/118/mar05/scitech/hotcoals.html) is what lets you walk over hot coal.