These set of rings/disks that are formed in the exhaust plume are known as Shock Diamonds or Mach discs (and by many more names).
The Marangoni Effect – an affair with surface tension
The Marangoni Effect says that fluid will want to flow from areas of lower surface tension to areas of higher surface tension. Soap has a lower surface tension than Water/ Milk. And as a result, when soap is placed on the surface of a fluid (as it is, in these animations), it wants to flow away to areas of higher
Beautiful Flow Visualization Explains Surface Tension
Ever heard of “tears of wine” or the phrase “the wine caught legs”? It’s common when you pour wine in a glass to see a ring of clear liquid that forms near the top the glass above the surface of wine. These drops continuously form and fall in rivulets back into the liquid and are influenced by a physical phenomenon called
How to build Beijng’s Forbidden City with 100-tonne stone blocks tens of miles away
This “How to” may not be that relevant in modern times, but in the XIV and XV century, I could think of a few civilizations that would have loved to learn how Chinese engineers moved huge volumes of rock from quarries tens of miles away. Such blocks of stone, weighing at least 100 tonnes, were used to build the splendid
The Leidenfrost effect and a cool water maze
Last week we showed you some great fluid dynamics at work – water bridges between two beakers connected to high voltage current. Water and fluids in particular sometimes behave in amazing ways under certain conditions. Today, I’d like to show another dazzling display: the Leidenfrost effect. This is a phenomenon that occurs when liquid, say water, is in near contact
Fluid dynamics shapes beautiful hexagon honeycombs, not the bees themselves
Honeybees are exquisite and majestic beings, which have always caught the imagination of people. Bees are typically associated with feminine energy, because they are ruled by queens, particularly with the roman goddess Venus. In some cultures, bees also represent wisdom. From a biological point of view however, bees could be definitely associated with motherhood. Without bees, a myriad of plants would