What is Reynolds number?The Reynolds number is an important dimensionless quantity in fluid mechanics used to help predict flow patterns in different fluid flow situations. Magmas typically consist of a mixture of molten liquid, bubbles, and solid crystals. As they... Continue Reading →
This week NASA released the first-ever image of shock waves interacting between two supersonic aircraft. It’s a stunning effort, requiring a cutting-edge version of a century-old photographic technique and perfect coordination between three airplanes – the two supersonic Air Force T-38s and the NASA B-200 King... Continue Reading →
Bubbles don’t stick around in pure water. Surfactants are needed to stabilize the thin liquid film for longer than the blink of an eye. But that’s not necessarily the case for other liquids. As the video below shows, a bubble in isopropyl... Continue Reading →
Because air and water are colorless and transparent, we cannot see most of the flows around us – but they’re always there. In a recent series, photographer Jess Bell has been capturing images of jumping dogs trailing a colorful powder... Continue Reading →
Despite decades of innovation in fabrics with high-tech thermal properties that keep marathon runners cool or alpine hikers warm, there has never been a material that changes its insulating properties in response to the environment. Until now. University of Maryland... Continue Reading →
"If black holes truly had no entropy, then any time an object fell into a black hole, its entropy would effectively be deleted, reducing the entropy of the universe and violating the second law of thermodynamics." Black holes are mystifying... Continue Reading →
Washington State University physicists have created a fluid with negative mass, which is exactly what it sounds like. Push it, and unlike every physical object in the world we know, it doesn’t accelerate in the direction it was pushed. It... Continue Reading →
What’s the difference between physics and biology? Take a golf ball and a cannonball and drop them off the Tower of Pisa. The laws of physics allow you to predict their trajectories pretty much as accurately as you could wish... Continue Reading →
Scents of Science 