If you dropped a water balloon on a bed of nails, you’d expect it to burst spectacularly. And you’d be right – some of the time. Under the right conditions, Keep reading
Tag: water balloons
Microgravity Water Balloons
When a water balloon pops in microgravity, waves propagate from the initial point of contact and the final point of contact (where the balloon skin peels away). As these waves Keep reading
Water Balloon Physics
[original media no longer available] This video explores some of the physics behind the much-loved bursting water balloon. The first sections show some “canonical” cases–dropping water balloons onto a flat Keep reading
Giant Water Balloon Physics
Playing with a giant water balloon and high-speed cameras is like a giant experiment in surface tension, right up until the tensile strength of the balloon comes into play. The Keep reading
The GE Show
[original media no longer available] While this video is not strictly about fluid dynamics, there are some pretty cool high-speed fluids moments in it. Watch the reaction of the gelatins Keep reading
Water Balloon Photography
Photographer Edward Horsford uses high-speed photography to capture water balloons as they burst. On Earth, of course, gravity wins over surface tension, but the results are very different in microgravity. Keep reading
Tempus II
While not strictly fluid mechanical Philip Heron’s Tempus II features some great slow-motion action of fluids. (Submitted by @ftematt)
Water Balloons in Microgravity
Sometimes you need microgravity in order to observe the neat effects of surface tension on a fluid. Also, I hear it’s a good excuse for popping water balloons on the Keep reading