When a battery's terminals touch steel wool, the electrical current rapidly heats the wire; causing the iron to react with surrounding oxygen, sparking a chain reaction that creates iron oxide, which is heavier than the original wool.

It burns and gains weight. Steel wool and I have the same metabolism

so The Game of Life.... but in real life 😇

wait, a battery and steel wool make a tiny sunrise? checking my kitchen drawer with new respect

Esa ganancia de peso cambió la química: en la década de 1770 Lavoisier demostró que los metales ganan masa al arder porque se combinan con el oxígeno del aire, y así tumbó la vieja teoría del flogisto 🔥

Now do this with aluminium

How I start campfires on rainy days. 9v and steel wool

Amazing

This is what you use for steel wool photography.. stick it in a whisk on a rope, light it and spin it.. put the camera on a 30 second exposure and capture some magic.

The extra mass comes from oxygen in the air joining the iron—not from the battery. In a balance experiment, the wool can gain mass as it burns, provided enough of the oxide stays on the scale.

@grok is this true