Amazing fluid dynamics

Fluid dynamics is just boring equations, right?
Well have a look at this video and think again!

Food-dye is always fun, especially when you get to mix it and get some colourful joy. But this is just amazing how this liquid creates “laminar flow”. If there were turbulences in the fluid while turning, you would not get the droplets nice and separated in the end.

Very similar equipment is used to determine the viscosity of fluids. You measure the torque you need to turn the object in the middle and from this you can calculate the viscosity of the fluid where the droplets are in the video. This is a great example how to visualize some pretty tough science in a very good way.
When I took a class on fluid dynamics, I had a pretty hard time visualizing viscometers and the different impact of turbulent vs. laminar flow. This would have probably helped to get a better start into the topic. In the end fluid dynamics is essentially everywhere and the difference between turbulent and laminar flow are pretty important in a vast amount of applications.
The Fraunhofer Institute is looking into sharkskin mimicry for planes and ships to reduce fuel consumptionFraunhofer Institute, Research News, Special Edition, 05/2010: http://amplt.de/n1. The surface of planes and ships significantly accounts to fuel consumption due to aerodynamic drag. Modifying these to facilitate turbulent flow will reduce the drag and make travelling more economic and reduce the impact on our environment.

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