We’ll call it Math Wednesday. Marc de Vinck turned me on to these amazing fluid-based polygons and polyhedra:
When a vertical water jet strikes a circular horizontal impactor, the water is deflected into a horizontal sheet. At sufficiently high speeds, the flow results in a circular water sheet, whose radius is set by a balance between inertial and curvature forces. At lower speeds, the sheet sags significantly under the influence of gravity, and may close, giving rise to a water bell. We have conducted a series of experiments in order to investigate the influence of increasing fluid viscosity on fluid sheets and bells.
[Thanks, Marc!]
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2 thoughts on “Fluid polygons and polyhedra”
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Well, I’m disappointed, I was fairly convinced that the ginormous hexagon Cassini found in 2007 was made of ceramic and was proof that Saturn was an artifact, I even postulated that the ring system was a Dyson-scale scaffolding intended for energy collection (or propulsion) being built by giant robotic drones that we are mistaking for moons. Enceladus being the primary source for the organo-metallic compounds being plated and ordered into ring shape, kind of like the nozzle of an orbiting 3D printer. But NOOOOOO, it’s probably just some dumb accident of fluid mechanics.
FEH.