Celebrating the physics of all that flows with Nicole Sharp, Ph.D.
- Profile
How to Blow Bubble Rings
Next time you’re at the pool, join the dolphins, moss, and volcanoes in blowing vortex rings. Here’s how: first, squeeze your lips like you’re going to give someone a kiss. Second, increase the air pressure in your mouth. Then quickly open and close your lips so a small amount of air pops out. It can…
Mentos & Diet Coke in Microgravity
For a little Friday fun, consider this microgravity experiment conducted aboard the infamous Vomit Comet: what happens when you combine Diet Coke and Mentos in microgravity? For the record, I think this is the answer. (Via jshoer, who will be flying on the Vomit Comet in 2 weeks – but sadly not with a fluids…
Sailing Faster than the Wind
Is it possible to create a vehicle that uses the wind to move itself directly downwind faster than the wind does? Strangely enough, it is. The concept has been the subject of debate for years, but one team has confirmed the physics by building a vehicle that uses wind but can travel 2.8x faster than…
Non-Newtonian Fun
Non-Newtonian fluids are a favorite for displaying odd behaviors. High-speed video simply improves the experience. Remember, though, that non-Newtonian fluids don’t actually become solids when you hit them. They just react similarly to a solid because they exhibit a nonlinear response to deformation.
Microgravity Boiling
Boiling a liquid is a common enough phenomenon that we are all familiar with it. But, as with many aspects of fluid mechanics, removing gravity drastically changes the situation.
Bubble Art
Bubbles are all about surface tension and minimizing energy. Arrange things just right and you can even make square ones. (via JetForMe)
Island Vortices
The von Karman vortex street isn’t just found in the wake of cylinders in a lab. Wind moving over islands frequently creates the effect, as in this MODIS Aqua image of the coast of Baja California, Mexico. #
How Wings Create Lift
One of the topics in fluid dynamics almost everyone has come across is the explanation of how airplanes produce lift. Using Bernoulli’s principle–which relates velocity and pressure–and a picture of an airfoil, your average science text will say that a bit of air going over the top of the airfoil has to travel farther than…