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Celebrating the physics of all that flows

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Celebrating the physics of all that flows

FYFD

  • Browse
    • The Archive
    • Themed Series
    • FYFD Videos
    • Research
    • Phenomena
    • Art
    • Reader Questions
  • Follow
    • Email Newsletter
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • Support
  • Events
  • Resources
  • Merch
  • Contact Us
  • Email Newsletter
Water, oil, and dish soap atop the colorful background of a CD. Art

Density Drift

Nicole Sharp - December 18, 2020December 3, 2020

This colorful photo shows three fluids — oil, water, and dish soap — illuminated by the rainbow reflection of a CD. The differing densities of each fluid creates a stratification Keep reading

A blue whirl. Research

The Structure of the Blue Whirl

Nicole Sharp - December 17, 2020December 2, 2020

Several years ago, researchers discovered a new type of flame, the blue whirl. Now computational simulations have helped them untangle the complex structure of this clean-burning flame. Their work shows Keep reading

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Phenomena

The Greedy Cup in Your Washing Machine

Nicole Sharp - December 16, 2020December 2, 2020

A Pythagorean, or “greedy” cup, is one that automatically drains itself once filled to a certain level. In other words, it’s a self-starting siphon – one that triggers only at Keep reading

A collapsing bubble wrinkles. Research

Wrinkles on Bubble Collapse

Nicole Sharp - December 15, 2020December 1, 2020

A viscous bubble wrinkles when it collapses, and scientists long assumed this behavior was caused by gravity. But a new experiment shows that the buckling is, instead, driven by surface Keep reading

A von Karman vortex street stretches behind Madeira Island. Phenomena

Curls Past the Canaries

Nicole Sharp - December 14, 2020December 1, 2020

When winds flow past a solitary peak, like an island in the ocean, they’re disrupted into a series of counter-rotating curls. That’s what we see here stretching to the southwest Keep reading

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Art

Precipitation

Nicole Sharp - December 11, 2020November 30, 2020

Chemistry and fluid dynamics often go hand-in-hand. Here chemical reactions produce visible precipitates as one chemical drops into the other. The shapes that form are distinctly fluid dynamical, with vortex Keep reading

Lake Kivu's distinctive layers have transitions only centimeters thick. Research

The Undisturbed Waters of Lake Kivu

Nicole Sharp - December 10, 2020November 30, 2020

Deep in Africa lies one of the world’s strangest lakes. Lake Kivu, over 450 meters in depth, is so stratified that its layers never mix. The upper portion of Lake Keep reading

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History

Streamlining Circa 1936

Nicole Sharp - December 9, 2020November 20, 2020

This 1936 promotional film by Chevrolet explains the concept of streamlining objects to reduce their drag. And it actually does a pretty nice job of it, including some wind tunnel Keep reading

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Phenomena

The Colors of a Thin Film

Nicole Sharp - December 8, 2020November 19, 2020

Soap bubbles and other thin films are colorful thanks to wave interference across their tiny thickness, but you may have noticed that only some colors appear. Others, like red, seem Keep reading

A water drop forms an upward jet after impact. Research

Jets Beneath Leidenfrost Drops

Nicole Sharp - December 7, 2020November 18, 2020

When a droplet impacts, it’s not unusual for converging ripples to form an upward jet, like the one seen here. But under the right circumstances, jets can form downward, too. Keep reading

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About FYFD

FYFD celebrates the physics of all that flows. It was established in 2010 by Nicole Sharp, PhD. You can also follow FYFD on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

If you’re a fan of FYFD and would like to help support the site and its outreach, please consider becoming a patron on Patreon or giving a donation through PayPal. Your support is much appreciated!

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