This video shows a Prince Rupert's Drop shattering, while illuminated with polarized light and viewed through a polarizing filter. The width of the video is approximately 10cm, or 4". The number on the top right indicates the number of frames before the bulb shatters completely, while the number on the bottom right indicates the number of frames per second the footage is being played back at. Footage was filmed with the Photron FastCAM SA-X2. With so many existing videos showing the shattering process at higher frame-rates and higher image resolutions, we decided to view the process under a different light instead - using a technique called photoelasticity to reveal the changes in the stress patterns of the glass via color. To do this, we used the fact that glass exhibits a property called birefringence. As a result of this property, when glass is illuminated with polarized light and then viewed through a polarizing filter, the stress patterns in the glass are visible as different bands of color. (These bands are what you can see at the start of the video). To shatter the Prince Rupert's Drop, we used a snap mousetrap, with the tail of the drop positioned right above the platform of the trap, along the trajectory of the hammer. We also placed the Prince Rupert's Drop in a transparent acrylic container in order to capture the glass shards. Acrylic is birefringent too, resulting in the background color seen in the video. When the trap springs, the acrylic begins to oscillate, resulting in the rapid changes in background color seen. The next noticeable change is the stem of the drop falling. This occurs as the hammer makes contact with the tail of the drop and brings it towards the platform. (While the speed at which the stem is falling seems slow, keep in mind that this is filmed at very high framerates!) Finally, in the last 10 or so frames before the bulb shatters completely, the colors in the bulb begins to change as the crack front propagates and changes the stress patterns in the drop. (For those of you unfamiliar with the Prince Rupert's Drop, here is a summary of the Wikipedia article. Prince Rupert's Drops are created by dropping molten glass into cold water, forming a large bulb of glass with a long, thin tail. The water rapidly cools the glass on the surface of the drop and causes it to solidify, even as the glass on the interior of the bulb remains molten. When the glass on the interior finally solidifies, it contracts, leading to large compression stresses on the surface of the bulb and large tensile stresses in the interior of the bulb. When the tail of the Prince Rupert's Drop is damaged, the tension in the interior of the bulb causes cracks to propagate throughout the drop, with the entire drop shattering in the blink of an eye.)