Pressure is a concept that can be unintuitive, but it’s incredibly important in physics and engineering. So I’m excited to debut a collaborative video series that @mostlyenginerd and I are producing Keep reading
Month: January 2022
Space Shuttle Sonic Booms
The Space Shuttle had a famous double sonic boom when passing overhead during re-entry. This schlieren flow visualization of a model shuttle at Mach 3 reveals the source of the Keep reading
Catching Particles with Sound
Acoustic levitation traps particles using specially shaped sound waves, but, thus far, it’s only been useful for small particles. One common method of trapping forms the sound waves into a Keep reading
“Dance Dance”
Artist Thomas Blanchard is no stranger to fluid dynamics. His previous short films focused on mixtures of oil and paint, but in “Dance Dance,” flowers are front and center. There are Keep reading
Rain on Car Windows
As a child, I loved to ride in the car while it was raining. The raindrops on the window slid around in ways that fascinated and confused me. The idea Keep reading
Jovian Polar Vortices
Jupiter’s atmosphere is full of enduring mysteries, and its poles are no exception. Instruments aboard the Juno spacecraft have gotten a better look at Jupiter’s North and South poles than Keep reading
Absorbing Bubbles
This is a bubble absorber. It’s formed from an array of three springs, seen end-on in the upper center, each of which is coated to make it superhydrophobic. The hollow Keep reading
Nautilus Swimming
The shellbound chambered nautilus is a champion of underwater jet propulsion. It can eke out efficiencies as high as 75%, far outclassing other jet-based swimmers like squid, salps, and jellyfish. Keep reading
Caught in a Whirl
View this post on Instagram #menorca #bubblering #jellyfish #freedive #goproes #gopro @goproes @gopro @angels.of.the.sea A post shared by Victor de Valles (@victordevalles) on Jun 6, 2017 at 12:15am PDT Vortex Keep reading
Castle-like Clouds
An astronaut captured this towering cloud over Andros Island from orbit aboard the ISS. This is a cumulus castellanus cloud, named for the castle-like crenelations at its top. Castellanus clouds Keep reading