Jump rope aerodynamics
Jump ropes are used by kids for fun and by athletes for training. But what about the underlying physics? How do jump ropes work? Can important engineering principles be studied?
General Physics
Nov 22, 2010
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Page 24 - News tagged with fluid dynamics
Should airplanes look like birds? Engineers envision more fuel-efficient design
Airplanes do not look much like birds -- unless you were to imagine a really weird bird or a very strange plane -- but should they? This question is exactly what a pair of engineers in California and South Africa inadvertently ...
Engineering
Nov 21, 2010
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How hummingbirds fight the wind: Robotic device helps analyze hovering birds
Hummingbirds rank among the world's largest and most accomplished hovering animals, but how do they manage it in gusty winds?
General Physics
Nov 21, 2010
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Air flows in mechanical device reveal secrets of speech pathology
From a baby's first blurted "bowl!'" for the word "ball" to the whispered goodbye of a beloved elder, the capacity for complex vocalizations is one of humankind's most remarkable attributes -- and perhaps one we take for ...
General Physics
Nov 21, 2010
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Making use of jellyfish on dry land
John Dabiri, assistant professor of aeronautics and bioengineering at Caltech who won a MacArthur Award this year, is fascinated by jellyfish. He believes jellyfish propulsion can inform engineering, which in turn can inform ...
Engineering
Nov 8, 2010
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Can fluid dynamics offer insights into quantum mechanics?
In the first decades of the 20th century, physicists hotly debated how to make sense of the strange phenomena of quantum mechanics, such as the tendency of subatomic particles to behave like both particles and waves. One ...
Quantum Physics
Oct 20, 2010
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Bouncing water droplets reveal small-scale beauty (w/ Video)
In the video below, scientists have captured the simple movements of water droplets on a superhydrophobic carbon nanotube surface. The video shows the water droplets as they bounce, slide, and roll across different structures ...
New method successfully predicted how oil from Deepwater Horizon spill would spread
Prompted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a UC Santa Barbara scientist has come up with a new way of predicting how contaminants like oil will spread. He was able to forecast several days in advance that oil from that ...
Environment
Sep 2, 2010
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Math from the heart: Simulating stent design and coating
Suncica "Sunny" Canic was good at math in school, so that's what she pursued as a career. But she always liked medicine, too. When she moved to Houston, Texas, and met some cardiologists at a party, she started talking with ...
Mathematics
Aug 23, 2010
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Bursting a bubble? Accepted theory explaining frequent eruptions at Italy's volcano called into question
Understanding the processes that cause volcanic eruptions can help scientists predict how often and how violently a volcano will erupt. Although scientists have a general idea of how these processes work — the melting of ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 21, 2010
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