Viscous fingers form when a low-viscosity fluid is pumped into a narrow, viscous-fluid-filled gap. The branching pattern that forms depends on the ratio of the two viscosities, among other factors. Keep reading
Tag: miscibility
Billowing Ouzo
Pour the Greek liquor ouzo into water, and your glass will billow with a milky, white cloud, formed from tiny oil droplets. The drink’s unusual dynamics come from the interactions Keep reading
“Microscopic World”
So many natural processes take place right in front of us, but they’re too small and too fast to see. Here, the Beauty of Science team puts some of those Keep reading
Toying With Density and Miscibility
Steve Mould opens this video with a classic physics toy that uses materials of different densities as a brainteaser. Two transparent, immiscible liquids fill the container, along with beads of Keep reading
Mocha Diffusion
These firework-like patterns spread when dyes are added atop a viscous but miscible lower fluid layer. Here, researchers use lower layers like corn syrup and xanthan gum; then they spread Keep reading
“Bubbles Experience”
Acrylic paint, oil, water, and air combine to create ephemeral sculptures in Alberto Seveso’s “Bubbles Experience” series. I love the mixture of shapes he achieves, from large, seemingly-laminar columns to Keep reading
“ColorLover”
“ColorLover,” a short film by artist Rus Khasanov, is a delightful liquid rainbow. The video’s ingredients seem to be ink, paint, oil, and a bit of superhydrophobic coating primed to Keep reading
“Halo”
Fluids create mesmerizing practical effects in this new experimental film from the Julia Set Lab. I love how the visuals mess with your sense of scale. Some of the sequences Keep reading
Swapping Emulsions
Chemically speaking, oil and water don’t mix. But with a little fluid mechanical effort, it’s possible to make them an emulsion — a mixture of oil droplets in water or Keep reading
Density Drift
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