The Kid Should See This

The Floating Water Bridge Demo

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The Floating Water Bridge, a demonstration by Dr. Elmar C. Fuchs. Two beakers are filled with triply deionized water.Β Electrodes are added to each, exposing the water to high d.c. voltage. A cylindrical water bridge forms between them that is stable enough to sustain itself across a few centimeters. Watch the water as the beakers are slowly separated. From FYeah Fluid Dynamics:

Gravity tends to make the water bridge sag and capillary action tries to thin the bridge, but both effects are countered by theΒ polarization forces induced in the water by the electric field.

File under: electrohydrodynamics and do not try this at home. High voltage is dangerous and requires trained adult supervision. Check out more imagesΒ at Dr. Fuchs’ site. Bonus vid: density fluctuations.

In the archives: more physics videosΒ and more demonstrations like this: an aluminum foil boat floats on a sulphur hexafluoride sea.

Thanks, @flechevallier.


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