Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026
06:42
Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
10.0K
Bathtub vortex induced by instability.
Jiro Mizushima1, Kazuki Abe1, Naoto Yokoyama2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|November 7, 2014
Summary
The bathtub vortex forms due to flow instability above a critical rate. The Coriolis force dictates the cyclonic swirl direction in systems with vertical plane symmetry.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Hydrodynamics
- Nonlinear dynamics
Background:
- Bathtub vortex formation is a common phenomenon.
- Understanding vortex dynamics is crucial for fluid engineering.
- The driving mechanism and swirl direction remain areas of interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the driving mechanism of bathtub vortices.
- Determine the factors influencing vortex swirl direction.
- Analyze the role of symmetry and Coriolis force.
Main Methods:
- Linear stability analysis of no-vortex flow.
- Numerical simulations of fluid flow in a vessel.
- Examination of systems with plane symmetries.
Main Results:
- Bathtub vortex formation is triggered by flow instability above a critical flow rate.
- Vertical plane symmetry is a prerequisite for studying swirl direction.
- Coriolis force is identified as the determinant of cyclonic swirl.
Conclusions:
- Flow instability drives bathtub vortex formation.
- Symmetry and Coriolis force are key factors in vortex behavior.
- This research provides insights into vortex dynamics in confined systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Spontaneous and Induced Mutations
2.2K
Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).
2.2K
02:17Microtubule Instability
6.1K
Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated...
6.1K
01:13Induced-fit Model
89.0K
Most chemical reactions in cells require enzymes—biological catalysts that speed up the reaction without being consumed or permanently changed. They reduce the activation energy needed to convert the reactants into products. Enzymes are proteins, that usually work by binding to a substrate—a reactant molecule that they act upon.
Enzymes exhibit substrate specificity, meaning that they can only bind to certain substrates. This is mainly determined by the shape and chemical...
Enzymes exhibit substrate specificity, meaning that they can only bind to certain substrates. This is mainly determined by the shape and chemical...
89.0K
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
27.3K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore...
27.3K
01:28Induced Electric Dipoles
4.7K
A permanent electric dipole orients itself along an external electric field. This rotation can be quantified by defining the potential energy because the external torque does work in rotating it. Then, the potential energy is minimum at the parallel configuration and maximum at the antiparallel configuration. While the former is a stable equilibrium, the latter is an unstable equilibrium.
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
4.7K
01:23Induced Electric Fields
4.6K
The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
4.6K