Fluids round-up time! Here are your latest links:
- Over at PhysicsFocus, Colin White discusses the Bernoulli fallacy and other zombie myths of physics. (Via @JenLucPiquant)
- Aviation Week has an exclusive look at Skunk Works’ SR-72 next-gen hypersonic aircraft.
- MinutePhysics asks if it’s better to walk or run through rain. This post has another take on the question.
- io9 describes why bubbles lose their color as they pop.
- Physics Buzz looks at knotted fluid vortices. They also have a nice write-up on the foaming of a struck beer, which we talked about last week.
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Enjoy the beauty of mathematics next to the physics they describe. (via io9)
- More fun fluids from Physics Buzz, this time looking at new tiny jellyfish-like flying robots.
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Remember the Chelyabinsk meteor from February? Discovery reports on an analysis of the air burst and its probability.
- Is there fluid mechanics in neck cracking? (?!?)
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New research shows that mesoscale self-assembly can be achieved using capillary charges.
- Finally, our lead image shows a simulation of turbulent flow in a tightly packed lattice of spheres. It’s an entry from Argonne National Laboratory’s annual “Art of Science” contest. Take a look at the entries and vote for your favorites!
While not strictly fluid dynamical, I want to take a moment to talk about education. I receive a lot of stunned reactions and self-deprecation when people learn I study aerospace engineering. Many people say, “Oh, I could never do that!” or “You must be some kind of genius.” I’m not. It’s true that studying engineering and fluid dynamics involves a lot of math and some it is complex (no pun intended). There’s a lot of unfounded fear about science and math in our society, when really they are just skills that any of us can improve with practice and effort. So, for those out there who have ever thought, “I can’t do that, there’s too much math,” please watch this young woman address mathphobia. She sums up just about everything I’ve always wanted to tell you.
(Photo credit: Argonne National Laboratory)