The animations above show a little of what happens when you pour a spoonful of liquid nitrogen onto a container of gasoline. A couple of things are happening simultaneously here. Keep reading
Month: December 2023
Making Droplets Stick
Lots of plants have evolved leaves that are superhydrophobic – that is, water repellent. For a plant, this makes a lot of sense. A superhydrophobic leaf will make water bounce Keep reading
Gunshot Back-Splatter
Today blood pattern analysis is an important forensic technique used in reconstructing the events at crime scenes. Many methods use straight-line trajectories to try to isolate the origin of blood Keep reading
Where Jupiter’s Heat Comes From
Exactly what goes on in Jupiter’s atmosphere has confounded scientists for decades. Its upper atmosphere – essentially the only part we can observe – is hundreds of degrees warmer than Keep reading
Quantum Droplets
Over the past decade, fluid dynamicists have been investigating tiny droplets bouncing on a vibrating fluid. This seemingly simple experiment has remarkable depth, including the ability to recreate quantum behaviors Keep reading
How Many Licks Does It Take to Get to the Center of a Lollipop?
Many a child has wondered how many licks it takes to get to the center of a lollipop. Physically, this is a problem of a solid body dissolving in a Keep reading
Capturing SLS
NASA’s recent full-scale ground test of their Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was notable for more than just the engine. It was an opportunity to use a new high dynamic Keep reading
Soap Film Wakes
Soap films can create remarkable flow visualizations when illuminated with monochromatic (single color) light. Each of the photos above shows a flow moving from left to right with a small Keep reading
Rio 2016: Diving
Diving is a popular event for spectators, but it can also be rather confusing. We know that divers are rewarded for minimizing their splash, but what exactly does that mean Keep reading
Rio 2016: The Swimming Pool Controversy
Statistical analysis suggests possible current in the Rio Olympics swimming pool Several news outlets, beginning with The Wall Street Journal, are reporting that the swimming pool in Rio may have Keep reading