April 27, 2009

Ah, the science of it all...

Check out...

A magnet falling through a copper pipe...


...and even cooler...a floating water bridge...via Neatorama...
When exposed to a high-voltage electric field, water in two beakers climbs out of the beakers and crosses empty space to meet, forming the water bridge. The liquid bridge, hovering in space, appears to the human eye to defy gravity.

Upon investigating the phenomenon, the scientists found that water was being transported from one beaker to another, usually from the anode beaker to the cathode beaker. The cylindrical water bridge, with a diameter of 1-3 mm, could remain intact when the beakers were pulled apart at a distance of up to 25 mm.

Why water would act this way was a surprise, Fuchs told PhysOrg.com. But the group’s analyses have shown that the explanation may lie within the nature of the water’s structure. Initially, the bridge forms due to electrostatic charges on the surface of the water. The electric field then concentrates inside the water, arranging the water molecules to form a highly ordered microstructure. This microstructure remains stable, keeping the bridge intact.
Sorry, folks...I'm a little buried this week, so 'til I catch up, there may be a bunch of link blogging.

2 comments:

Murr Nation said...

It's like watching the Matrix all over again.

PHSChemGuy said...

Isn't it, though?

But this is real...frickin' real...