One of the most famous water-walking creatures is the common basilisk lizard. These South American reptiles are far too large to be kept aloft by surface tension and other interfacial Keep reading
Month: September 2024
APS News
FYFD made it into the February issue of APS News! Click here to read the online version, which is way easier than deciphering my cell phone’s photos.
Walking on Water
For the next week, FYFD is going to be exploring the physics of walking on water. Birds, bugs, and balls can all do it – we’ll look at how! To Keep reading
Watching a Sneeze
What does a sneeze look like? You might imagine it as a violent burst of air and a cloud of tiny droplets. But this high-speed video shows, that’s only part Keep reading
Sand Ripples in Tidal Flats
Sand, winds, and waves can interact to form remarkable and complex patterns. These sand ripples from the tidal flats of Cape Cod are a testament to such interactions. When a Keep reading
Electric Coiling
A falling jet of viscous fluid–like honey or syrup–will often coil. This happens when the jet falls quickly enough that it gets skinnier and buckles near the impact point. Triggering Keep reading
Glaciers in Motion
To the naked eye, glaciers don’t appear to move much, but appearances can be deceiving. Like avalanches and turbidity currents, glaciers flow under the influence of gravity. They typically move Keep reading
Fire Tornadoes in Action
Commonly called fire tornadoes, these terrifying vortices often occur in large wildfires and have more in common with dust devils or waterspouts than true tornadoes. They form when warm, buoyant Keep reading
Fluids Round-Up
Time for another fluids round-up! Here’s some of the best fluid dynamics from around the web: – Band Ok Go filmed their latest music video in microgravity, complete with floating, Keep reading
Psychedelic Cymatics
Cymatics are the visualization of vibration and sound. Here photographer Linden Gledhill has taken a simple speaker vibrating a dish of water and turned it into some incredible art. When Keep reading