6 ms·
So we should be able to walk on the surface of a pool filled with ketchup? I've seen this video of people walking on custard on brainiac: https://www.youtube.c
by shriphani 6y ago
So we should be able to walk on the surface of a pool filled with ketchup?
I've seen this video of people walking on custard on brainiac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz9KnPZWOgs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz9KnPZWOgs
- surround 6y agoNo, ketchup is shear-thinning, meaning it’s less solid when under stress.
- agumonkey 6y agoI wonder if these properties are used in analog devices... I recently learned that ovens had thermal switches based on wax (and expansion under heat).
- klyrs 6y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilatant#Applications https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilatant#Applications I'd say that shear thickening fluids as used in traction control systems can be seen as an analog clutch.
- agumonkey 6y agoahh sadly the kevlar-fluid combo is already a thing.. i always thought it would be a fun thing to build
- thihguy 6y agoThe lock in a washing machine door works like that, which is why it takes two minutes to unlock.
- teeray 6y agoMelting / Solidifying wax is also the basis of old-school steam radiator thermostats.
- 0xbadcafebee 6y agoAnd current-day car thermostats. If it fails, your engine overheats, and that's an expensive repair. If you ever see a high temp warning light on your car, you can take it out and test its functionality in a pot of hot water (or replace it for ~$20)
- jamiek88 6y agoAlso, was how the lunar rover handled cooling. Big block of wax used as a radiator. Well, not radiator exactly!
- msl 6y agoI don't think the LM used wax for thermal management, but the Lunar Roving Vehicle did, as a "thermal capacitor" [1]. That is, heat was stored in a block of wax while driving, and then radiated away between uses. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Roving_Vehicle#Wheels_and_power https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Roving_Vehicle#Wheels_an...
- jamiek88 6y agoThat’s what I said. Lunar rover.
- yesenadam 6y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_motor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_motor If you've flown, you put your life in a wax motor's waxy hands: "Wax motors are used...to control fuel, hydraulic, and other oils critical to safe flight today in modern airplanes."
- Sosh101 6y agoEven today the thermostatic valves you find on home heating radiators are actuated by wax.
- jgbmlg 6y agoYes, he needs to fill the pool with a dilatant fluid not a thixotropic fluid.
- csunbird 6y agoBraniac is back? I miss that show
- thihguy 6y agoUnlikely - a spoon sinks in it.
- contravariant 6y agoJust because it's non-Newtonian doesn't mean it's identical to oobleck. All it means is that it's not Newtonian. Besides, you can run on water (or at least, some lizards can) at high enough speeds, though I'm not sure if water still behaves Newtonian in those situations.
- HPsquared 6y agoFor a human-sized object running on water, it's more about inertia - viscosity doesn't really come into it at that speed and scale. In other words, the Reynolds number is high in that situation.