Why do old things often last much longer than today's new devices?

Has anyone ever noticed that many items produced 50-100 years ago are often much more robust and durable than most of the stuff you can buy today? I once visited a museum where there was a steam engine that was over 100 years old. It was still fully functional and could theoretically operate normally today….

How strong is the freezing pressure when water expands into ice?

When water expands into ice, its volume increases by about 9% because it takes on a crystalline structure. I have seen an experiment before where water was filled into a steel ball and then placed in a nitrogen container (freezer). After the water expanded into ice in the steel ball, the steel ball burst like…