In this video, artist Afiq Omar mixes ferrofluid with soap, alcohol, milk, and other liquids to create a surrealistic fluidic dance. In addition to using different fluid mixtures, I suspect he accomplishes many effects using several different permanent magnets and electromagnets to vary the magnetic fields around the ferrofluid mixtures. (Video credit: Afiq Omar; via Wired)
Tag: ferrohydrodynamics
Ferrofluid
[original media no longer available]
The motion of ferrofluids in magnetic fields is always mesmerizing. Here a ferrofluid has been submerged in a clear alcohol-based solution in a shallow dish while a permanent magnet is used to perturb the liquid. Instead of forming its distinctive spikes due to the normal-field instability, the fluid forms ribbons and mazes due to the shifting magnetic field and the surrounding fluid.
High-Speed Ferrofluid
High-speed video captures the behavior of a ferrofluid trapped between two magnets. Ferrofluids contain tiny ferromagnetic particles suspended in a carrier fluid like oil or water. The distinctive peaks and valleys of a ferrofluid subject to a strong magnetic field is due to the normal-field instability and is a result of the fluid minimizing its magnetic energy.
Wild Ferrofluid Shapes
In this fluid experiment, a ferrofluid–typically a liquid with a suspension of ferric particles–is exposed to rotating magnetic fields, which results in some wild shapes. #