Turbulence, the seemingly random and chaotic state that fluids often tend toward, can be difficult to wrap one’s head around. Turn your faucet on high or pour milk into your Keep reading
Month: September 2024
Star Wars Aerodynamics
Science fiction is not always known for hewing to scientific fact, so it will probably come as little surprise that Star Wars’ ships have terrible aerodynamics. But it’s nevertheless fun Keep reading
Glorious Vortex Street
Satellite imagery often reveals patterns we might struggle to see from the ground. Here Gaudalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico perturbs the atmosphere into a series of vortices. Keep reading
Calving Icebergs
The birth of icebergs from a glacier is known as calving. Although it’s extremely common for chunks of ice to break off a glacier’s terminus, the process is not well Keep reading
Tea Physics
Tea is a popular beverage around the world, and nearly everyone has their own method for making the perfect cup. Perhaps unsurprisingly, scientists have studied tea physics as well. One Keep reading
360 Fireball
Flames are inherently fascinating to watch. Most of the ones we see regularly, like candle flames and campfires, tend to flicker unsteadily due to their turbulence. But larger fires have Keep reading
The Dangerous Clatter of Dishes
Have you ever noticed how loud dishes are when you’re handling them? Under the right (or, perhaps more accurately, wrong) circumstances, the clatter of ceramics like porcelain can be dangerously Keep reading
Bubble Art
Everyone loves soap bubbles, and bubble artist Melody Yang reveals how to make some pretty awesome ones in this video for Wired. The surface tension of bubbles makes them naturally Keep reading
Collecting Fog
In some parts of the world, fog is a major source of freshwater, but collecting it is a challenge. Most systems use a wire mesh to capture and collect droplets, Keep reading
Night Shine
Noctilucent – literally night-shining – clouds are a phenomenon unique to high latitudes during the summer months. Too dim and sparse to see in daylight, these clouds shine at night Keep reading