Movement pattern of liquids

riddle · Sep 3, 2010

So I was reading an article late one night, and the writer tried to sound smart and mentioned how water "retains a memory" and if you splashed a few drops of water on your hand, the water would follow the same path, like how if you throw water on a window, the water will always "trace" the same path. He called it the "something" effect, and I can't remember what it was called, any suitably super smart scientists here to solve this dilemma of mine?

James Leighe · Sep 3, 2010

If I were to drip drops of water on the same spot of a slanted peice of glass the water would tend to roll down in similar ways. This is because the first drop(s) will leave a traced out path of shallow water that the other water drops will tend to follow like little roads.

If you wanted to call it 'memory' at all it's really more a memoy of the glass or other material than the water itself.

alxm · Sep 3, 2010

Saying 'water retains a memory' sounds awfully close to homeopathy nonsense. But as Leighe said, water will trickle down the same path because the surface has been wetted. (and that's the scientific term for it)

Even if the surface wasn't wetted, two water drops starting at the same position should follow the same path anyway, for fairly obvious mechanical reasons.

riddle · Sep 3, 2010

yea, thats what I mean, but, there was a name for it. "The something Effect". Like how theres the "Mpemba" Effect. I just found out about the Mpemba effect today, and then I remembered the "something effect", and it started killing me. what is it called?!

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Movement pattern of liquids

riddle

James Leighe

alxm

riddle

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