Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Partial Differential Equations

Partial Differential Equations

A stone dropped into a still pond generates waves that propagate outward in circular patterns, creating a dynamic surface whose elevation depends on both position and time. At any given location, the water level oscillates as the wave passes, while at any fixed moment, the surface exhibits smooth, curved structures extending across space. This dual dependence requires a mathematical description that accounts for variation in multiple variables simultaneously.At a fixed point on the water...

Propagation of Waves

Propagation of Waves

When a wave propagates from one medium to another, part of it may get reflected in the first medium, and part of it may get transmitted to the second medium. In such a case, the interface of the two mediums can be considered as a boundary that is neither fixed nor free.
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...

Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface tension is a fundamental property of fluids, occurring at the boundary between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. This phenomenon arises from the cohesive forces between molecules at the fluid's surface, creating an effect similar to a stretched elastic membrane. Inside each fluid, molecules are equally attracted in all directions by neighboring molecules, but surface molecules experience a net inward force, resulting in surface tension.
Surface tension varies with...

Density and Archimedes' Principle

Density and Archimedes' Principle

When a lump of clay is dropped into water, it sinks. But if the same lump of clay is molded into the shape of a boat, it starts to float. Because of its shape, the clay boat displaces more water than the lump and experiences a greater buoyant force, even though its mass is the same. The same holds true for steel ships. The average density of an object majorly determines if the object will float. If an object's average density is less than that of the surrounding fluid, it will float. The reason...

Wave Parameters

Wave Parameters

The simplest mechanical waves are associated with simple harmonic motion and repeat themselves for several cycles. These simple harmonic waves can be modeled using a combination of sine and cosine functions. Consider a simplified surface water wave that moves across the water's surface. Unlike complex ocean waves, in surface water waves, water moves vertically, oscillating up and down, whereas the disturbance of the wave moves horizontally through the medium. If a seagull is floating on the...

Travelling Waves

Travelling Waves

A wave is a disturbance that propagates from its source, repeating itself periodically, and is typically associated with simple harmonic motion. Mechanical waves are governed by Newton's laws and require a medium to travel. A medium is a substance in which a mechanical wave propagates, and the medium produces an elastic restoring force when it is deformed.
Water waves, sound waves, and seismic waves are some examples of mechanical waves. For water waves, the wave propagation medium is water;...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Direct observation of vortices in an electron fluid.

Nature·2022

Same author

Emerging scale invariance in a model of turbulence of vortices and waves.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2022

Same author

Second-harmonic generation as a minimal model of turbulence.

Physical review. E·2021

Same author

Entropic characterization of the coil-stretch transition of polymers in random flows.

Physical review. E·2021

Same author

Self-organization and multi-line transport of human spermatozoa in rectangular microchannels due to cell-cell interactions.

Scientific reports·2020

Same author

Publisher Correction: Wave kinetics of random fibre lasers.

Nature communications·2018

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Film Control to Study Contributions of Waves to Droplet Impact Dynamics on Thin Flowing Liquid Films

Film Control to Study Contributions of Waves to Droplet Impact Dynamics on Thin Flowing Liquid Films

Published on: August 18, 2018

How waves affect the distribution of particles that float on a liquid surface.

P Denissenko¹, G Falkovich, S Lukaschuk

¹Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, University of Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom.

Physical Review Letters

|February 7, 2007

Summary

Waves cause floating particles to cluster. This clustering is a nonlinear effect in standing waves, speeding up with larger wave amplitudes. In random waves, particles form complex multifractal patterns.

More Related Videos

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Published on: February 17, 2019

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics

Published on: August 27, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Film Control to Study Contributions of Waves to Droplet Impact Dynamics on Thin Flowing Liquid Films

Film Control to Study Contributions of Waves to Droplet Impact Dynamics on Thin Flowing Liquid Films

Published on: August 18, 2018

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Published on: February 17, 2019

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics

Published on: August 27, 2013

Area of Science:

Physics
Fluid Dynamics
Nonlinear Dynamics

Background:

Particle distribution on liquid surfaces is influenced by wave dynamics.
Understanding particle-wave interactions is crucial in various scientific fields.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally investigate the effect of waves on the distribution of floating particles.
To characterize particle clustering in standing and random wave fields.

Main Methods:

Experimental setup involving liquid surfaces with standing and random waves.
Observation and analysis of the distribution of small floating particles.
Measurement of particle clustering time and spatial distribution patterns.

Main Results:

Particle clustering in standing waves is a nonlinear phenomenon.
Clustering time decreases quadratically with increasing wave amplitude.
In random waves, particles concentrate on a multifractal set exhibiting caustics.

Conclusions:

Wave properties significantly dictate particle distribution patterns on liquid surfaces.
Nonlinear dynamics play a key role in particle aggregation under wave influence.
The formation of multifractal structures highlights complex emergent behavior in wave-particle systems.