Phenomena

Sloshing Dynamics

[original media no longer available]

Sloshing refers to the motion of a liquid inside a moving container, for example, in tanker trucks or inside a spacecraft’s fuel tank. The motion of the liquid payload can drastically affect the dynamics of the vehicle carrying it due to the ever shifting center of mass. In the video above, dyed water is being oscillated horizontally to and from the camera. As the frequency of this oscillation changes, the modes of sloshing–the shapes the liquid surface assumes–change dramatically.

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