Accurate Fluid Dynamics By Video Analysis

[HarmonicGeneration]

Table of Contents
ToggleIntroductionMethodResultsDiscussion
Introduction

Providing accurate fluid dynamics experiments for undergraduate laboratories is challenging in several ways, including reproducibility, simplicity, and accessibility to introductory students.  The data from many introductory experiments, for example, is not sufficiently accurate to test whether a linear or a quadratic relationship more appropriately models the dependence of drag force on velocity.  An optimal laboratory experiment is sufficiently inexpensive for multiple groups of students...

Continue reading...

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Awesome job! @Dr. Courtney must be very proud!

 

[neilparker62]

Interesting - same idea very good for basic projectile motion eg Calculation of g. Can you perhaps provide basic models which one can apply to the given data set. Am assuming something like exp(-kt) or 1 - exp(-kt).

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Interesting - same idea very good for basic projectile motion eg Calculation of g. Can you perhaps provide basic models which one can apply to the given data set. Am assuming something like exp(-kt) or 1 - exp(-kt).

HarmonicGeneration suggested this when analyzing the data, but as the adviser on the project I dissuaded him. In general, I prefer not to promote the fitting of data to closed form functions that give the impression only algebra is required when I know the underlying problem really needs the application of calculus and solving a differential equation. I encouraged HG to focus on a good experiment to provide good data that would support a variety of theoretical and analysis approaches rather than to begin steering readers toward specific theoretical viewpoints. My experience has been most short fluid dynamics articles are too heavy on theory and too light on good data. There are probably 5-6 productive directions theory could take with the data in the article. HarmonicGeneration may take one of those directions in a follow-up article, but he included the data in a convenient form for interested readers to take different directions if they choose.