In urban areas, buildings and concrete surfaces create a heat effect that can make temperatures in the city substantially higher than in nearby rural areas. That heat isn’t just above Keep reading
Tag: thermodynamics
A Levitated Boil
When acoustically levitated, objects tend to clump together and move like a single, large solid. But researchers found more fluid-like states for their levitated particles when the particles were smaller. Keep reading
Leidenfrost On Ice
We’ve seen many forms of Leidenfrost effect — that wild, near-frictionless glide that liquid droplets make on a very hot surface — over the years, but here’s a new one: Keep reading
Tricking a Kettle
Electric kettles are designed to shut off when the water inside them boils. But what does that mean exactly? In this video, Steve Mould explores that question by trying to Keep reading
Inside a Super-Earth
When studying exoplanets, scientists often judge habitability by the possibility of liquid water on the planet’s surface. But there is more to Earth’s habitability than water. The liquid iron dynamo Keep reading
Viscosity and Quantum Mechanics
Viscosity describes a fluid’s resistance to changing its shape. Like surface tension, it’s a fundamental property of a fluid that comes from the interactions between molecules. But viscosity is a Keep reading
Freezing Splats
When a drop hits a surface colder than its freezing point, there’s a competition between retraction and solidification that determines the final shape of the splat. For many materials, like Keep reading
Watching a Droplet Freeze
Whether it’s rain hitting an airplane wing or droplet-based 3D printing, the dynamics of a droplet impacting and solidifying on a surface are important. This new study observes the process Keep reading
Why Compressed Air Cans Get Cold
Anyone who’s used a can of compressed air to clean their computer or keyboard knows that the can quickly gets quite cold to the touch. This Minute Physics video explores Keep reading
The Cricket’s Chirp
Growing up, my summer nights often featured a chorus of crickets and bull frogs. Even now, the sound of those chirps reminds me of home. So how do crickets make Keep reading