Over the past few years, we’ve seen lots of droplets bouncing and walking on waves. But today’s example is a little different. In this set-up, the wave is a large standing wave that sloshes from side-to-side in a narrow container. As it does, the wave catches and tosses a large ~3mm water droplet. The system is surprisingly stable, with this game of catch lasting for tens of thousands of cycles and up to 90 minutes before the droplet coalesces. The researchers found that, if the droplet tries to wander from its spot, the oscillating surface wave corrects it, guiding the droplet back to the optimal position. (Image and research credit: C. Sandivari et al.; via APS Physics; submitted by Kam-Yung Soh)
A Game of Toss
