Recent content by Swamp Thing

If we think of this as a collision, (a) and (b) together don't mean that momentum isn't transferred and conserved. In abstract terms, is this not equivalent to a collision between two steel rods, or quartz rods, or whatever? In the pump case, the post-collision separation (rebound) might show up...

I wouldn't be too sure. Maybe you were on the right track to start with... OR... maybe a moment of low enough positive pressure that the deadweight can overcome it and reopen the valve? And that moment will come when the K.E. of the moving water (plus some energy stored as compressed air) has...

I decided to start with the simplest toy problem and work it up step by step into a full ram pump simulation. Gemini gives me this diff. eqn. for the simple problem I have sketched below. Does it look right? ##\frac{dQ}{dt} = \frac{\pi d^2}{4\sqrt{X^2+Y^2}} \left( \frac{P}{\rho} + gY \right) -...

I am still not sure whether finite non-zero compressibility is a key feature, or merely a secondary / tertiary modifying effect. If we compare two simulations, one with finite and realistic compressibility and the other with incompressible fluid, and if we include the air chamber, will there be...

Rather long, but well worth watching.

"hinder" lol

I may not have worded my question in the best way. Steve Mould's explanation is based on the idea that you can't make complete sense of the device unless you assume that water does compress a little during the pressure spike, sending a shock wave upstream all the way to the reservoir. I was...

Is it really necessary to consider the compressibility of water in order to understand a ram pump? Steve usually does an excellent job of explaining this kind of thing, but this time I'm not so sure... Note: Despite the thumbnail, he is not proposing a perpetual motion device.

The joke begins at around 04:13. The video is Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. I think you will agree that, even if you are not sure if the world really needs yet another joke about the sax, this one is pretty ok.

The Czochraski method is used to produce monocrystals for electronics, gem production etc. Jan Czochralski invented the method in 1915 while investigating the crystallization rates of metals. He made this discovery by accident: instead of dipping his pen into his inkwell, he dipped it in...

"It's OK, I'm Amish"

TIL about an analog technique to create amazing fractal-like images. A camera looking at a monitor that is driven from the camera, while you tweak the hue, saturation, brightness, contrast etc.

"There's no point, you're just preaching to the void!"