Fluorescent oil sprayed onto a model in the NASA Langley 14 by 22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel glows under ultraviolet light. Airflow over the model pulls the initially even coat of Keep reading
Month: January 2025
Shock Trains
In compressible flows, shock waves are singularities, a tiny distance across which the density, temperature, and pressure of a fluid change suddenly and discontinuously. In this video, there is a Keep reading
Beach Cusps
Beach cusps are arc-like patterns of sediment that appear on shorelines around the world. Cusps consist of horns, made up of coarse materials, connected by a curved embayment that contains Keep reading
The Reynolds Number Illustrated
The dimensionless Reynolds number is a key concept in fluid dynamics, allowing scientists to distinguish regimes of flow between differing geometries and even different fluids. This video gives a great Keep reading
Reader Question: Oceans Meeting?
Reader favoringfire asks: Hi! Maybe you can help me: I’ve seen a pic revolving around Tumblr from the Danish city of Skagen showing the Baltic and North sea meeting. Where Keep reading
Bouncing Atop a Pool
When slowed down, everyday occurrences, like a drop of water falling into a pool, can look absolutely extraordinary. When a falling drop has low momentum, it doesn’t simply disappear into Keep reading
Fluids Round-up – 21 September 2013
First off, I’d like to give a special shout-out to FYFD’s friends at Pointwise, who were kind enough to invite me for a visit this week. For any readers looking for Keep reading
Other Ig Nobel Fluids
To round out our series on fluid dynamics in the Ig Nobel Prizes (which are not the same thing as the actual Nobel Prizes), here are some of the other winners. Last Keep reading
Ig Nobel Fluids: Shower Curtain Science
Nearly everyone has faced the frustration of a shower curtain billowing inwards to stick to one’s leg. Various explanations have been offered to explain the effect, but David Schmidt won Keep reading
Ig Nobel Fluids: Swimming in Syrup
Does a person swim faster in water or syrup? One expects the more viscous syrup would offer a swimmer greater resistance, but, at the same time, it could also provide Keep reading