system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does constantly mixing cement keep it from turning into stone?
gpt
As pointed out before, it doesn't, however it does prolong the process.

Cement solidifies by basically turning itself (a paste of very specific particles and water) into a crystal. The particles pretty much combine with the water to form nice hard crystals (so saying you're waiting for the cement to "dry-out" is technically incorrect).

By forcing the paste to tumble around, you constantly break the connections before they grow into stable forms.