One of the major challenges in fluid dynamics is the size of the parameter spaces we have to explore. Because many problems in fluid dynamics are non-linear, making small changes Keep reading
Tag: vibration
Avoiding Shear Thickening
Many substances – like the cornstarch and water mixture above – exhibit a property called shear-thickening. In these fluids, deforming them quickly causes the viscosity to increase dramatically. That shear-thickening occurs when particles Keep reading
Superwalkers
Walking droplets – drops that bounce their way across a pool of the same liquid without coalescing – have fascinated researchers in recent years with their unusual behaviors, some of Keep reading
Guiding Particles with Chladni Patterns
During the 19th century, Ernst Chladni and Michael Faraday independently explored the patterns formed by particles of different sizes placed on a vibrating plate. Faraday found that large particles accumulated Keep reading
Granular Instabilities
Granular mixtures show surprising similarities to fluids, even though their underlying physics differ. The latest example of this is a Rayleigh-Taylor-like instability that occurs when heavy particles sit atop lighter Keep reading
Vibrating in the Flow
Objects can obviously affect flows, but that’s not a one-way street. Flows can also affect objects, even ones as simple a circular cylinder. If you live somewhere with traffic lights Keep reading
A Musical Splatter
High-speed video is wonderful for appreciating fluid motion in ways we can’t on our own. In this video from Warped Perception, we see what happens when a vibrating tuning fork Keep reading
Boiling with Sound
Ultrasonic vibrations can boil nanoscale liquid layers, according to a new simulation-based study. Above you see a layer of water initially about 2 nm thick. When the surface it’s on Keep reading
The Mystery of Carnegie Hall’s Sound
For nearly a century, the acoustics of Carnegie Hall were touted as among the very best in the world. But after a much-needed renovation in 1986, musicians and critics felt Keep reading
Manipulating Droplets Remotely
Using acoustic levitation and an array of carefully-placed speakers, researchers can manipulate droplets without touching them. This lets scientists study the physics of droplet coalescence (top) without interference from solid Keep reading