Celebrating the physics of all that flows with Nicole Sharp, Ph.D.
- Profile
Ripples
Capillary waves–ripples–interfere with one another after the photographer throws objects into a narrow point in a small lake. The reflections of these waves off the lake’s boundaries and against one another creates a mosaic-like geometric effect on the liquid surface. (Photo credit: Jorgen Tharaldsen/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Flame Thrower Physics
This high-speed video–which we do not recommend recreating yourself–features burning gasoline flying through the air. In addition to the sheer entertainment value, there are some neat physics. In the first segment, when they kick a tray of gasoline, one can see lovely fiery vortices forming around the backside of the tray as it’s launched. This…
Lenticular Clouds
Lenticular clouds, such as the one shown above, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form over a mountain or range of mountains. Moist air is deflected up over the mountain, and, if the temperature at higher altitudes is below that of the dew point, the water vapor in the air can condense, forming a cloud that…
Champagne Science
Today many a glass of champagne will be raised in honor of the end of one year and the beginning of a new. This French wine, known for its bubbly effervescence, is full of fascinating physics. During secondary fermentation of champagne, yeast in the wine consume sugars and excrete carbon dioxide gas, which dissolves in…
Bouncing in a Corral
About a year ago, we featured a video in which a fluid droplet bouncing on a vibrating pool demonstrated some aspects of the wave-particle duality fundamental to quantum mechanics. Work on this system continues and this new video focuses on studying some of the statistics of such a bouncing droplet–called a walker in the video–when…
INK World v01
In this video, mixtures of inks (likely printer toners) and fluids move and swirl. Magnetic fields contort the ferrofluidic ink and make it dance, while less viscous fluids spread into their surroundings via finger-like protuberances. (Video credit and submission: Antoine Delach)
Perpetual Motion?
In the 17th century, scientist Robert Boyle proposed a perpetual motion machine consisting of a self-filling flask. The concept was that capillary action, which creates the meniscus of liquid seen in containers and is responsible for the flow of water from a tree’s roots upward against gravity, would allow the thin side of the flask…
Merry Christmas
[original media no longer available] Sit back, relax, and enjoy some science-y goodness with Bill Nye as he explains fluids. Happy holidays, everyone!
Santa and the Egg
[original media no longer available] If I were Santa–or the egg in this video–I don’t think I’d particularly like getting sucked through a chimney in this fashion. I wonder if Santa re-kindles the fire and tries to increase air pressure in the house relative to the outside in order to get back out the chimney.…
Reader Question: Snow from Boiling Water?
[original media no longer available] Reader kylewpppd asks: Have you seen the post of a man in Siberia throwing boiling water off of his balcony? Can you provide a better explanation of what’s going on? As you can see in the video (and in many similar examples on YouTube), tossing near boiling water into extremely…