20 Photos That Perfectly Illustrate the Concept of “What Happens If”

Of course, no one leaves food in the fridge to see how mold grows on it or pours sulfuric acid on a towel deliberately. But if this has already happened, you can post a photo of the event online for others to see what can happen in real life. We found photos from Internet users that show “what happens if.”

“This is what happens when mercury goes on a gold ring.”

“My grandmother kept her gold ring in a box with a mercury thermometer. It fell, and mercury went on the ring. We were lucky to remove the mercury quickly, so the ring was saved.”

“I didn’t realize that there was a hole in my pillow before I sent it into my dryer.”

“Rats ate their way into our work fridge over the weekend.”

This is what happens if the outer glass layer of the oven explodes.

Failures happen to everyone. It’s much easier to deal with them if you can share them with someone and get their support and empathy.

Sulfuric acid got on a towel.

“I left salty water in the mug and forgot about it for a month, so salt crystals formed inside.”

“I accidentally put a box of matches through the wash, now it’s a box of sticks.”

It’s hard to recognize some things after they break. But then others are so weird in the first place that the whole Internet is wondering what their purpose is.

This is what a swollen battery looks like.

“This abandoned shoe I found deep in the forest”

“Water dripping from the roof made frozen ripples.”

“My mom found out that a thermometer isn’t oven-safe.”

The way the condensation settled on this spiderweb

Natural phenomena can sometimes surprise us and enchant us with their beauty more than anything created by man.

A rusted satellite dish

“I accidentally washed a salt and pepper packet in the laundry.”

“My hands after washing the dishes for 20 minutes”

Our bodies are capable of an incredible range of physiological reactions. But do not be shy about any of your features because we are all beautiful.

“I bought this cookie sheet last night. In the parking lot, it slid out of my shopping cart and immediately got run over by a Jeep.”

Sprouts growing from a discarded corn cob

Even with the ordinary, something extraordinary can occur. For those who pay attention, the world around them is full of interesting discoveries.

“I turned off the power for a week while traveling but forgot about the food in the fridge. Came back to this.”

“My students said their milk was ‘stretchy.’ I didn’t know what they meant until I saw this slimy mess.”

This is strawberry milk, which contains an ingredient called carrageenan.

• Food scientist here. Carrageenan is made from seaweed. A long time ago, I was working on a coffee energy drink that started coming out with a similar texture. It took some real digging, but we found that a thermophilic bacteria similar to leuconostoc was contaminating the seaweed from which the carrageenan was harvested. A recent storm likely carried it from the thermal vents offshore and it settled on the seaweed. Leuconostoc is famous as the “snot ball bacteria” and the process of thermally processing the beverage activated the bacteria. © DrDisastor / Reddit

“When I microwave my coffee in this mug, it comes out the handle.”

• Most ceramics are fine to microwave. Handmade mugs with glazes are a little iffy because if the glaze wasn’t applied 100% evenly, thermal expansion will eventually cause cracks, and then the liquid can seep into the underlying ceramic. Once this happens, there’s a safe space for bacteria to go, and it has a chance of making a user sick. © imathrowawayteehee / Reddit