Avalanches Simulated With 500,000 Ping-Pong Balls

An anonymous reader submits "Ping-pong ball avalanche experiments have been carried out for the last three years at the Miyanomori ski jump in Sapporo, Japan, to study three-dimensional granular flows. Up to 550,000 balls were released near the top of the landing slope. The balls then flowed past video cameras positioned close to the flow, which measured individual ball velocities in three dimensions, and air pressure tubes at different heights. The flows developed a complicated three-dimensional structure with a distinct head and tail, lobes and 'eyes.' See for yourself, it's quite interesting!"

Re:Hmm...

[Lars T.]

First of all, look at what this post [slashdot.org] quotes from the site. The problem with avalanches (for the simulator) is that they are made up of a) snow (fluffy ice crystals) and b) air. They don't act like simple fluids.