You may think that complex equations and alcohol don’t or shouldn’t mix. But when you make your favorite cocktail, you’ll unknowingly encounter one of the most complex processes in fluid mechanics, the study of how liquids flow.
When researchers try to predict how fluids move, bubble, and wave, they often encounter complex equations. The starting point for solving almost all of these problems is the Navier-Stokes equation, named after Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes. They invented it in the 1800s, which was also the golden age of mixology.
So what better way to learn about fluid mechanics than with a cocktail? From how to make bubbles to unusual cloud formations to supersonic jets of liquid, there are some great surprises hidden inside your drinks! . Roll up your sleeves and get out your cocktail shaker!
gin fizz
Experience the wonders of bubble miniatures
First, something squishy. Made with two parts gin, one part lemon juice, a splash of syrup, and a splash of soda water, gin fizz is easy to make without a layer of foam.
Bubbles challenge physicists. Sometimes they behave like solids. Sometimes it behaves like a liquid. When washing dishes, soap bubbles flow like water, but the hard foam from beer can be cut off in one go.
This difference is due to the bubbles. Bubbles form when bubbles gather. But how…
Source: www.newscientist.com