8 Scientific Reasons Why You're Having One Of Those Days

8. Your Coffee Doesn't Pour Properly

So you begin your day with a nice, preferably caffeinated, beverage. This will require a certain amount of pouring and, sure enough, anything that your try to pour out of a container, whether it be a kettle, pot or milk bottle, will end up dribbling down the side and ending up all over the kitchen top.

The mystery of why teapots seem incapable of teapotting came to the attention of a team of fluid dynamics experts in Lyons, France, and have found that a complex interaction of forces come together to create the "hydro-capillary effect" - or teapot dribble.

The surface tension of the water causes a "capillary meniscus" to form at the spout, which essentially "sticks" the water to the spout. It takes less energy for the water to just follow this path and pour itself all over your newspaper, as opposed to "unsticking" itself and pouring into your cup.

But as scientists, we're in the business of solutions, not problems, and luckily those plucky scientists have found a way to save our tea.

The answer is to apply a superhydrophobic material to the spout. This will repel the liquid and cause it to pour in a graceful arc from pot to cup.

You'll also be pleased to learn that you probably already have the perfect superhydrophobic material in your home in the form of butter.