Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
08:45
Glass-Based Devices to Generate Drops and Emulsions
Published on: April 5, 2022
2.5K
Dissipative shocks in a chain fountain
1Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|October 30, 2014
Summary
A chain defying gravity by rising before falling has been mathematically solved. This study explains the anomalous behavior, revealing a fountain-like shape due to dissipative shocks.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Applied Mathematics
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Chains exhibiting anomalous behavior under gravity have garnered recent attention.
- The phenomenon involves a chain rising before falling, forming a stable, fountain-like shape.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a complete mathematical solution for the anomalous rising and falling behavior of a chain.
- To analyze the physics behind the chain's 'fountain' shape.
Main Methods:
- Development of a comprehensive mathematical model.
- Exact resolution of dissipative shocks within the system.
Main Results:
- A precise mathematical description of the chain's trajectory and final shape.
- Identification of dissipative shocks as key elements governing the anomalous motion.
Conclusions:
- The study offers a full theoretical explanation for the chain's gravity-defying ascent.
- The mathematical framework precisely models the observed fountain-like phenomenon.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Shock Waves
2.0K
While deriving the Doppler formula for the observed frequency of a sound wave, it is assumed that the speed of sound in the medium is greater than the source's speed through it. When this condition is breached, a shock wave occurs.
When the source's speed approaches the speed of sound, constructive interference between successive wavefronts emitted by the source occurs immediately behind it. Initially, scientists believed that this constructive interference would result in such high...
When the source's speed approaches the speed of sound, constructive interference between successive wavefronts emitted by the source occurs immediately behind it. Initially, scientists believed that this constructive interference would result in such high...
2.0K
01:29Hydraulic Jump
944
A hydraulic jump is a sudden rise in fluid depth in open channels, occurring when high-velocity (supercritical) flow transitions to low-velocity (subcritical) flow. This phenomenon requires an upstream Froude number greater than 1, as flows with Fr1<1 remain subcritical, making a hydraulic jump impossible due to the need for negative head loss, which violates thermodynamic principles.The characteristics of a hydraulic jump depend on the upstream Froude number and are classified as...
944
01:20Types of Damping
6.5K
If the amount of damping in a system is gradually increased, the period and frequency start to become affected because damping opposes, and hence slows, the back and forth motion (the net force is smaller in both directions). If there is a very large amount of damping, the system does not even oscillate; instead, it slowly moves toward equilibrium. In brief, an overdamped system moves slowly towards equilibrium, whereas an underdamped system moves quickly to equilibrium but will oscillate about...
6.5K
01:04Pascal's Law
9.4K
In 1653, the French philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal published "Treatise on the Equilibrium of Liquids," which discussed the principles of static fluids. A static fluid is a fluid that is not in motion. When a fluid is not flowing, we say that the fluid is in static equilibrium. If the fluid is water, we say it is in hydrostatic equilibrium. For a fluid in static equilibrium, the net force on any part of the fluid must be zero; otherwise, the fluid will start to flow. Pascal...
9.4K
01:09Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
934
Various dissolution theories provide insight into the factors that influence the dissolution rate. Danckwerts' Model suggests that turbulence, rather than a stagnant layer, characterizes the dissolution medium at the solid-liquid interface. In this model, the agitated solvent contains macroscopic packets that move to the interface via eddy currents, facilitating the absorption and delivery of the drug to the bulk solution. The regular replenishment of solvent packets maintains the...
934
01:12Design Example: Flow Through a Fire Extinguisher
564
A fire extinguisher that uses pressurized water relies on fluid dynamics principles to generate a high-velocity stream capable of suppressing flames. The water is stored at a much higher pressure inside the extinguisher than the surrounding atmosphere. This pressure difference forces the water to flow rapidly when the extinguisher is activated, and the behavior of the water as it exits the nozzle can be understood using fundamental equations of fluid dynamics.
The key to understanding how the...
The key to understanding how the...
564