Is It Simple to Explain Simple Experiments?: An Unusual Version of the Magdeburg Experiment with a Kitchen Blender

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There are many phenomena, interesting, simple experiments and effects, that await their in-depth explanation from the point of view of physics. Some of them have been well known for a long time but their numbers are increasing, especially with the introduction of new technology in everyday life. In this paper we consider a simple experiment that everyone can perform at home in their kitchen with a handheld blender and a glass of water. When the blender is turned on with the blade close to the bottom, it is possible to lift the glass without holding it in any other way. The explanation of this experiment, however, turned out to be unusually complicated, and we had to consider a large number of different effects. Some of the phenomena that seemed like favorites to explain the effect were ruled out through controlled experiments. The final (in our opinion) explanation turned out to be a variation of one of the famous early experiments in physics—the Magdeburg hemispheres. This experiment demonstrates that interesting physics effects can hide everywhere—even under a kitchen blender.