Fluid Inside an Ideal Sphere: What Happens?

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SUMMARY

When an ideal sphere filled with an incompressible fluid, such as water, is rotated rapidly, the shape of the fluid remains unchanged due to the constraints of the sphere. However, if the fluid is slightly compressible, a vacuum or thin vapor may form along the rotation axis under extreme rotational speeds. This phenomenon highlights the behavior of fluids in confined spaces and the effects of rotational forces on fluid dynamics.

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  • Basic physics of vacuum formation
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Physicists, engineers, and students studying fluid dynamics or rotational mechanics will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the behavior of fluids in confined geometries.

Flor
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Hi all!

Imagine you have an ideal sphere (made of steel or plastics). Then fill it completely with some fluid, e.g. water. Then rotate it very fast. What happens to a fluid inside? I suppose that it will try to change its shape (from spherical to flat). But there is no space for any size changes (the sphere is completely filled). Thank you very much!

With kind regards,
Jan
 
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If the sphere maintains the shape and size exactly, and if the fluid is perfectly incompressible, then the shape does not change. If the fluid is a real, slightly compressible, fluid, and the rotation is really fast, you can get a vacuum* along the rotation axis.

*more precise: very thin vapor of the liquid
 

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