Mould effect

proper noun

A counterintuitive physical phenomenon observed with a chain of beads placed inside a jar: when one end of the chain is yanked from the jar and allowed to fall to the floor, it establishes a self-sustaining flow of the chain which rises up into an arch as if being sucked by an invisible siphon.

Similar
chain fountain
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Meanings

proper nounthe Mould effect
  1. A counterintuitive physical phenomenon observed with a chain of beads placed inside a jar: when one end of the chain is yanked from the jar and allowed to fall to the floor, it establishes a self-sustaining flow of the chain which rises up into an arch as if being sucked by an invisible siphon.

    Synonyms: chain fountain

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA counterintuitive physical phenomenon observed with a chain of beads placed inside a jar: when one end of the chain is yanked from the jar and allowed to fall to the floor, it establishes a self-sustaining flow of the chain which rises up into an arch as if being sucked by an invisible siphon.

Similar
chain fountain

Origin

Named after Steve Mould, science presenter who popularized the effect in a YouTube video.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Mould effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mould%20effect

MLA

“Mould effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mould%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mould effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mould%20effect.

Source: Mould effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.