fluid mechanics

Enlarge / Physicist Justin Burton (left) experiments with giant soap bubbles on Emory University's Quad with graduate student Stephen Frazier. Everybody loves bubbles, regardless of age—the bigger the better. But to blow really big, world-record-scale bubbles requires a very precise bubble mixture. Physicists have determined that a key ingredient is mixing in polymers of varying…

Brown researchers set up a belly flop-like water experiment using a blunt cylinder, adding an important vibrating twist to it that ultimately led them to counterintuitive findings. Credit: John Antolik and Daniel Harris. Brown researchers set up a belly flop-like water experiment using a blunt cylinder, adding an important vibrating twist to it that ultimately…

Enlarge / Gentoo penguins are the world's fastest swimming birds, thanks to the unique shape and structure of their wings. Gentoo penguins are the world's fastest swimming birds, clocking in at maximum underwater speeds of up to 36 km/h (about 22 mph). That's because their wings have evolved into flippers ideal for moving through water…

Brown researchers set up a belly flop-like water experiment using a blunt cylinder, adding an important vibrating twist to it that ultimately led them to counterintuitive findings. Credit: John Antolik and Daniel Harris. Brown researchers set up a belly flop-like water experiment using a blunt cylinder, adding an important vibrating twist to it that ultimately…

Enlarge / Researchers investigated the stability of bubble chains in carbonated drinks like champagne and sparkling wine.Madeline Federle and Colin Sullivan Brown University physicist Roberto Zenit has a knack for tying his fundamental fluid dynamics research to everyday phenomena, like enjoying a glass of champagne with friends. He noticed one day that the bubbles rising to…