In “Chemical Poetry” artists Roman Hill and Paul Mignot use fluid dynamics to create incredible and engaging visuals. With a stunningly close eye to fluids mixing and chemicals reacting, their Keep reading
Month: December 2024
Meandering Colorado
Sometimes the meandering of a river is best seen from above. Because of the way water moves to negotiate a bend in the river, any curvature of a river will Keep reading
Buzzing Straws
Many woodwind instruments owe their sound to the vibration caused when air moves past parts of them. As Nick Moore demonstrates in this video, you can create a simple version Keep reading
Molasses Flood Press
My Molasses Flood project has gotten a bunch of press since my presentation earlier this week, including in the New York Times, the Associated Press, New Scientist, and on CBC’s Keep reading
Are Cats a Fluid?
Are cats a fluid? It’s a question that has inspired many a meme. There are a few common definitions as to what makes a fluid. One is that a fluid Keep reading
Starfish Vortices
Starfish larvae, like other microorganisms, use tiny hair-like cilia to move the fluid around them. By beating these cilia in opposite directions on different parts of their bodies, the larvae Keep reading
Saturnian Clouds
It may look like an oil slick, but the photo above actually shows the clouds of Saturn. The false-color composite image reveals the gas giant in infrared, at wavelengths longer Keep reading
Coarsening in a Soap Film
Flow in a soap film is driven by gravity’s efforts to thin the film and surface tension’s attempts to stabilize variations in thickness. Because evaporation guarantees that the soap film Keep reading
Oil in Alcohol
A drop of oil impacts and falls through a pool of isopropyl alcohol. Momentum, viscosity, and diffusion combine to deform the drop into a shape that is initially like an Keep reading
APS DFD 2016
It’s the time of year again for the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting! Tomorrow I’ll fly to Portland, OR for three days of non-stop fluid dynamics. This Keep reading