Can Rayleigh–Bénard Convection Be Observed at Home?

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SUMMARY

Rayleigh–Bénard convection can be observed at home using a simple experimental setup. A large flat-bottomed pan partially filled with water, placed on a hot plate or stovetop, serves as the primary apparatus. For enhanced visibility of convection patterns, the addition of shampoo can be beneficial. For those interested in modeling this phenomenon, Chandrasekhar's "Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability" is a recommended resource.

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  • Understanding of Rayleigh–Bénard convection principles
  • Familiarity with basic experimental setups in fluid dynamics
  • Knowledge of heat transfer concepts
  • Access to Chandrasekhar's "Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability" for modeling insights
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Students, educators, and hobbyists interested in fluid dynamics, particularly those looking to conduct home experiments related to convection phenomena.

Jbreezy
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Hello,
I was trying to see if anyone knew a site where I could find directions on how to do Rayleigh–Bénard convection from home. I found this book on google books and it started to tell me then the pages jumped from 6 to 9. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
 
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Do you mean observe the convection or model the convection? For modeling, you can't do much better than to start with Chandrasekhar's "Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability" (Dover). For an experimental system, it's not hard- a large flat-bottomed pan partially filled with water and placed on a hot plate or stovetop. Getting good visibility isn't too hard- these folks used shampoo:

http://www.colorado.edu/MCEN/flowvis/galleries/2010/Team-3/Reports/Lisenker_Ilya.pdf
 
DUDE! Just to observe! Thanks so much you made my day! THANKS THANKS THANKS!
 

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