FYFD
Celebrating the physics of all that flows. Ask a question, submit a post idea or send an email. You can also follow FYFD on Twitter and YouTube. FYFD is written by Nicole Sharp, PhD.
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Posts tagged "numerical simulation"
Realistically modeling rainfall remains an extremely difficult problem. To be practical, results have to be on the scale of kilometers; no one is looking to find out whether rain will fall from one specific cloud over their head. But making that prediction depends on physics that happens at the microscale, where droplets tens of microns in size are condensing, colliding, and eventually growing large enough to fall as rain. (Image credit: J. Fowler; research credit: E. de Jong et al.; via Eos)
Uranus and Neptune–known as our system’s ice giants–are our least explored planets. “Ice giant” is one structure that matches the limited measurements we have from these planets, but, as today’s preprint study points out, it’s not the only one. (Image credit: NASA; research credit: E. Young et al. (preprint); via Gizmodo)
A telescope’s resolution is set by the size of its reflective surface. Our largest space telescope, JWST, has a 6.5-meter reflector, the largest we could manage given manufacturing constraints and the need to launch it in a rocket. To reach even larger sizes, researchers are considering a new type of reflector: one made of liquid. (Image credit: NASA; research credit: I. Gabay et al.)
Dolphins are such fast and agile swimmers that, naturally, scientists have long wanted to understand how they swim so well. A recent study draws on numerical simulation to analyze the flow a dolphin creates when flapping its tail. (Video, image, and research credit: Y. Motoori et al.; via Ars Technica)
When the wind blows, trees shift and sway, reconfiguring their shape and their leaves in response. For parts of the year, that flow can also pluck pollen grains off the tree, carrying them on the winds. A new computational simulation models this pollen dispersal from a tree, with the aim of eventually integrating into a tool for urban planners. (Image credit: M. Köles; research credit: T. Dbouk et al.; via Physics World)
Calculating turbulent flows like those found in the ocean and atmosphere is extremely expensive computationally. That’s why forecasting models use techniques like Large Eddy Simulation (LES), where large physical scales are calculated according to the governing physical equations while smaller scales are approximated with mathematical models. (Image credit: CasSa Paintings; research credit: K. Jakhar et al.; via APS)
On the outskirts of our solar system, two enigmatic giants loom: Uranus and Neptune. In terms of mass and size, both resemble many of the exoplanets discovered in recent years. Within our own solar system, these planets are known as “icy giants,” but a new study suggests that moniker may be wrong. (Image credit: NASA/ESA/A. Simon/M. Wong/A. Hsu; research credit: R. Morf and L. Helled; via Physics World)