Under most circumstances, we think about flows changing from ordered and laminar to random and turbulent. But it’s actually possible for disordered flows to become laminar again. This is what Keep reading
Month: September 2024
The Fishbone
The simple collision of two liquid jets can form striking and beautiful patterns. Here the two jets strike one another diagonally near the top of the animation. One is slanted Keep reading
Swimming Microdroplets
Simple systems can sometimes have surprisingly complex behaviors. In this video, the Lutetium Project outlines a scheme for swimming microdroplets. Most of the droplets shown are just water, but they’re Keep reading
Delta Wing Flow Viz
Designing new aerodynamic vehicles typically requires a combination of multiple experimental and numerical techniques. The photo above shows a model for an unmanned flying wing-type vehicle. Here it’s tested in Keep reading
Singularities
Black holes, like the collapse of a cavity in a fluid, are a singularity – a point where the mathematical rules we use to describe physical systems break down. No Keep reading
Lincolnshire KH Clouds
These beautiful Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds were spotted over Lincolnshire on December 19th. They form between two layers of air, one of which is moving faster than the other. Although that situation Keep reading
Growing Fingers
Branching, tree-like structures are found throughout nature. Take a thin layer of a viscous fluid pressed between two glass plates and inject a less viscous fluid like air and you’ll Keep reading
Rolling Along
Leidenfrost drops – droplets deposited onto a surface much hotter than their boiling point – are known for their mobility. With the right surface, they can be propelled, trapped, and Keep reading
Twisting to Pack
One conventional method for packing granular materials is to tap them repeatedly, but a new study suggests that twisting is a faster method. Researchers poured thousands of dice into a Keep reading
Layered Latte Physics
Latte lovers may be familiar with the layered latte, a beverage with distinctive horizontal layers mixing espresso and milk, but you may not have taken the time to wonder how Keep reading