Make A Hole - And Sustain It Indefinitely 38
Mick Ohrberg writes "Florian Merkt, Robert Deegan, and Erin Rericha, all at the University of Texas, have shown that a hole created in a water and cornstarch mixture with a puff of air can be persistent if the mixture is shaken at about 120Hz with acceleration being in the 12g-25g range. The physics behind the phenomenon has not yet been explained."
Cool and all (Score:1)
Re:Cool and all (Score:2, Interesting)
Physics and particles (Score:5, Interesting)
I remember reading an article years ago, about research into mixed nuts. Basically they wanted to find out why the brazil nuts always tended to come to the top. It turns out it's a semi-complex interaction, when the can is shaken vertically, the nuts closer to the walls are pulled down due to the friction and they fall into the gap created at the bottom of the can, creating a sort of convection current. The larger brazils had less contact area with the wall and were not as likely to be pulled back down IIRC.
It's just kinda funny that we understand all kinds of interactions down on the atomic level, but are still researching basic things like the way mixed nuts or raisin bran sort and settle.
Re:Physics and particles (Score:2, Interesting)
I remember reading an article years ago, about research into mixed nuts. Basically they wanted to find out why the brazil nuts always tended to come to the top. It turns out it's a semi-complex interaction, when the can is shaken vertically, the nuts closer to the walls are pulled down due to the friction and they fall into the gap created at the bottom of the can, creating a sort of convection current. The larger brazils had less contact area with the wall and were not as likely to be pulled back down IIR
The physics are easy (Score:5, Funny)
so... (Score:5, Interesting)
treasure is always a good incentive...
Re:so... (Score:2, Funny)
You're right. (Score:1)
Re:so... (Score:3, Informative)
Unlikely, for this approach, at least. This experiment is relying on special interactions between the cornstarch suspension and the sound waves passing through it. Water behaves a lot more like an ideal liquid than a cornstarch suspension does, so it's not going to exhibit the same effect.
There are other patterns of motion you could induce in water to get access to sunken ships (e.g. dump in lots of sound and put an antinode in the channel volum
Mirror of video (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Mirror of video (Score:2)
Re:Mirror of video (Score:2)
wmv == Windows Mileage Varies?
Likely the dynamic boron-mediated crosslinks (Score:1, Interesting)
Just like if you hit silly putty with a hammer.
Cornstarch/Water a "sheer-thickening" fluid (Score:5, Interesting)
Perhaps the interaction between the cornstarch/water and the vibrations cause the cornstarch/water to increase its viscosity and "hold" up the walls of the hole.
Re:Cornstarch/Water a "sheer-thickening" fluid (Score:2)
Re:My thoughts exactly (Score:5, Insightful)
I would guess that it's not that the scientists don't know why this is happening, just that their models aren't accurate/precise enough to predict it. Or maybe they left out some effect or force that is normally negligible in the models, but suddenly becomes important in this situation.
Experiment (Score:2)
1 bowl, medium size
1 pack of cornflour (presumably cornstarch is the US word for cornflour)
1 source of water
Put approximately 'some' cornflour in the bowl.
Add water and stir until you have a liquid.
Mess about with the amounts of water and cornflour until you have a reasonably thin liquid, but one which if you punch (!) will not splatter all over the place. If you stir it with a spoon, very slowly, it will feel like water. If you try and stir it fast, you will feel great resistance.
You m
ooblick (Score:2)
-calyxa
So that's how Moses did it.... (Score:4, Funny)
Re: So that's how Moses did it.... (Score:2, Funny)
> How much cornstarch do you need for the Red Sea anyway?
Moses stole the technology from the Egyptians, who were using it to make Stargates.
Where does "a strong East wind" resonate? (Score:1, Insightful)
The most likely explanation is that "a strong east wind" was just that, and cold, too. People forget that the desert gets damn cold at night, cold enough for the natives to ma
Re:Where does "a strong East wind" resonate? (Score:1)
Re:So that's how Moses did it.... (Score:1)
Re:So that's how Moses did it.... (Score:1)
Already been done (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Already been done (Score:2)
I shouldn't worry. All ACME's lawyers have been tied up for years in a class-action lawsuit that's been brought by the Coyote Association, for knowingly selling dangerously substandard equipment.
I don't know why this is a mystery, but its not (Score:2)
Not explained? (Score:1, Interesting)
But what I really want to know is... (Score:3, Funny)
Hey Joe... Let's take some water... and add some cornstarch.. and then. hmm... apply a really high frequency, and then puff some air down into it.
Ya know Bob, that's a really great idea.
-Jesse