The Breaking of Water Stream
The breaking of water stream under the light of total internal reflection of laser
Jiho Yang
Colegio Retamar
Abstract
In this paper, we report the circumstances that produce breaking of water stream. The usual way to visualize this is by using a strobe, as how they do in Science museums. Experimental methodology that we have used to investigate this topic is based on an experiment carried out by two scientists in 1850 that contributed to studies about total reflections. By using a laser, we could observe that the laser light is scattered due to refraction when water stream breaks. Taking into account this fact, we recorded videos and then analyzed them computationally.
This phenomenon is considered to be very complex and they cannot be studied in the same way as other physical phenomenon. Our initial hypothesis about this phenomenon was that water stream breaks when its flow turns from laminar state to turbulent state. Then we extended this study including the influence of surface tension in this phenomenon. We expected that as surface tension decreases, the stream will break with higher velocities then before.
Ⅰ. Introduction
We often see in science museums, using a strobe, how a water stream breaks and forms drops while performing a parabolic movement. The object of this paper is to study the conditions in which a “water stream” breaks.
The motivation for choosing this topic was the first demonstration of total internal reflection carried out by
Colladon and Babinet in Paris in 1840s1. Titled as “On the reflections of a ray of light inside a parabolic liquid stream ”, it was published in 1842. The paper was based on the description of
a
“light
fountain”.
Using
the
optical
characteristic of water, they observed the behaviour of the light when it propagates inside the water stream 2 . They found out that the light could be seen on the end of the water stream where the light enters and the other end
where
Jiho Yang
Colegio Retamar
Abstract
In this paper, we report the circumstances that produce breaking of water stream. The usual way to visualize this is by using a strobe, as how they do in Science museums. Experimental methodology that we have used to investigate this topic is based on an experiment carried out by two scientists in 1850 that contributed to studies about total reflections. By using a laser, we could observe that the laser light is scattered due to refraction when water stream breaks. Taking into account this fact, we recorded videos and then analyzed them computationally.
This phenomenon is considered to be very complex and they cannot be studied in the same way as other physical phenomenon. Our initial hypothesis about this phenomenon was that water stream breaks when its flow turns from laminar state to turbulent state. Then we extended this study including the influence of surface tension in this phenomenon. We expected that as surface tension decreases, the stream will break with higher velocities then before.
Ⅰ. Introduction
We often see in science museums, using a strobe, how a water stream breaks and forms drops while performing a parabolic movement. The object of this paper is to study the conditions in which a “water stream” breaks.
The motivation for choosing this topic was the first demonstration of total internal reflection carried out by
Colladon and Babinet in Paris in 1840s1. Titled as “On the reflections of a ray of light inside a parabolic liquid stream ”, it was published in 1842. The paper was based on the description of
a
“light
fountain”.
Using
the
optical
characteristic of water, they observed the behaviour of the light when it propagates inside the water stream 2 . They found out that the light could be seen on the end of the water stream where the light enters and the other end
where
References: - La Nature, Paris : Masson, 1884, digital edition: David R.Lide. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Editor-in-Chief, 86th edition, 2006-2007. prediction, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New Jersey, 2002. Reverte, 2006 - Continental, 2001 15