Wave action can be a major source of erosion along riverbanks and shorelines. But in a recent study, scientists were able to perfectly absorb incoming waves to create a downstream Keep reading
Tag: interference
Colorful Drainage
Bright colors mark this slowly draining soap film. The film sits slightly off-horizontal, so flow shifts over time from the top of the frame to the bottom. The fluid is Keep reading
“Oil Paintings”
To capture his images of auroras, nebulas, and comets, photographer Juha Tanhua points his camera lens downward, not upward. Despite their astrophysical appearance, Tanhua’s “oil paintings” are actually parking lot Keep reading
Spreading By Island
How does a droplet sinking through an immiscible liquid settle onto a surface? Conventional wisdom suggests that the settling drop will slowly squeeze the ambient fluid film out of the Keep reading
Swimming in Line
When swimming in open waters, it pays to keep your ducks (or your goslings!) in a row. A recent study examined the waves generated behind adult water fowl and found Keep reading
Wrinkles on Collapsing Bubbles
As a bubble sitting on a pool collapses, wrinkles form around its edges. Visually, the result is quite similar to the wrinkles one gets on an elastic sheet. Unlike the Keep reading
Psychedelic Soap Film
Macro images of a soap film burst with color. Because the color comes from interference between light waves bouncing off the inner and outer surfaces of the soap film, the Keep reading
Submarine Canyons Focus Waves
In winter months Toyama Bay in Japan can get hammered by waves nearly 10 meters in height. These waves, known as YoriMawari-nami, pose dangers to both infrastructure and citizens, and, Keep reading
“Aurora”
In “Aurora”, artist Rus Khasanov uses fluids to create a short film full of psychedelic color and cosmic visuals. As in a soap bubble, the bright colors – as well as the pure Keep reading
Supernumerary Bows
After the rain of Hurricane Florence came the rainbow, or rainbows, in this case. Photographer John Entwistle captured this image of a rainbow with several additional supernumerary bows. The inner Keep reading