Motion Mania is the name of our brand new exhibit opening June 20th! In order to get familiar with the science concepts in Motion Mania, try this … We have a simple and easy to do experiment for you to try, one that you can actually conduct TODAY.
Supplies:
- Coffee (skip out on the mocha latte’s, just grab a regular)
- Creamer (the liquid kind in the 3/8 ounce cups)
- Coffee stirrer or spoon
- A friend or parent
Procedure:
Before you just dump in the creamer and stir it up, think about the different ways you could mix your coffee and creamer. Discuss these methods with a coworker. Sheena and I came up with a few different ways: just dump the creamer in and wait, stir frantically and then pour the creamer in, or just put the creamer in and then stir.
In this experiment, try the following technique:
1. Pour creamer in your coffee
2. Stir slowly in one direction twice
3. Stir slowly in the opposite direction once
How much time does it take for the creamer to be completely mixed? How does the appearance of the creamer change over time?
When Sheena and I tried this, we noticed that once we moved the stirrer in the opposite direction, we saw little spirals of creamer. It made us think of hurricane images on the news and how there is a majority of the hurricane moving in the same direction, but also parts of it on the outside moving in the opposite direction. Sheena said it looked like water flowing down a river. When the water flows around a rock, tiny spirals of water move against the current. It reminded me of the You Tube experiment I did on turbulent orbs and how it demonstrated planetary atmospheres. What does it remind you of?
You have noticed one of the featured phenomena in our new exhibit (starting June 20th), Motion Mania! When you observed the creamer moving in one direction from the single stir, the result is called Laminar Flow, which is when currents move in parallel without interference. Once you changed the direction of your stirrer, you introduced an obstacle and caused Turbulent Flow. Eddies form when currents (creamer moving through the coffee) collide. This is when you see the small spirals of creamer. This turbulent motion is what helps diffuse (mixing on the molecular level) the creamer through the coffee. On a broader scale, this is how tropical storms, white water rapids, airplane turbulence and the violent atmosphere of Venus form. Motion Mania features five different exhibits that demonstrate these concepts: Circling Wave Umbrella, Cloud Rings, Fluttering Silk, Settling Column and Turbulent Orb. Get excited about this fast pace and highly chaotic exhibit set!
Sheena Martenies and Nicole Schiffer
References:
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