This image demonstrates the captivating flow dynamics of a homemade lava lamp. The setup involves a glass first filled with baking soda, followed by oil, and finally, vinegar coloured with food dye. The interaction begins when the coloured vinegar, denser than oil, sinks to the bottom where it reacts with baking soda. This reaction produces carbon dioxide gas, which then forms bubbles. These bubbles capture droplets of the coloured vinegar, carrying them upward through the less dense oil in a delightful display of fluid mechanics. This process is an excellent visualization of density differences and the buoyancy-driven flow, where lighter materials (gas-filled bubbles) rise through a denser medium (oil), demonstrating Archimedes’ principle in action.
Camera Settings: Captured with a Canon EOS 600D at ISO-100, f/8 aperture, 1-second exposure, and 81 mm focal length
Get Wet – Homemade Lava Lamp Experiment
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Flow Vis Guidebook
- Introduction to the Guidebook
- Overview 1: Phenomena. Why Does It Look Like That?
- Overview 2: Visualization Techniques
- Overview 3: Lighting
- Overview 4 - Photography A: Composition and Studio Workflow
- Overview 4 - Photography B: Cameras
- Overview 4 - Photography C: Lenses - Focal Length
- Overview 4 - Photography C: Lenses - Aperture and DOF
- Overview 4: Photography D: Exposure
- Overview 4 - Photography E - Resolution
- Overview 5 - Post-Processing
- Clouds 1: Names
- Clouds 2: Why Are There Clouds? Lift Mechanism 1: Instability
- Clouds 3: Skew - T and Instability
- Clouds 4: Clouds in Unstable Atmosphere
- Clouds 5: Lift Mechanism 2 - Orographics
- Clouds 6: Lift Mechanism 3 - Weather Systems
- Boundary Techniques - Introduction
- Dye Techniques 1 - Do Not Disturb
- Dye Techniques 2 - High Visibility
- Dye Techniques 3 - Light Emitting Fluids
- Refractive Index Techniques 1: Liquid Surfaces
- Refractive Index Techniques 2: Shadowgraphy and Schlieren
- Particle Physics: Flow and Light
- Dilute Particle Techniques - Under Construction
- Particles 2: Aerosols
- Particles 3: In Water - Under Construction
- Art and Science
- TOC and Zotpress test
- Photons, Wavelength and Color
3 Comments. Leave new
This is an awesome visual. It makes me think of one of the pictures from the Webb telescope. The scale gives you the impression of something cosmic.
I really love how you captured such a distinct photo. The colors are beautiful and create amazing visuals!
This reminds me of a large drop off with beautiful flower or life up top with the yellow and black “wall” with the dark black hole down below. Super cool image!