The bizarre patterns that emerge when you heat ANY fluid

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Are convection diagrams accurate? I built one to find out.

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[SteveMould]

I didn’t really talk about the effect the sides of the container has. There must be a boundary layer effect there and that’s likely going to increase turbulent flow.

[ibonitog]

I absolutely know what you mean by "2D-Version", but in this case it's very important to mention that this process would actually look and work differently in true 2D. This is, from a fluid dynamics standpoint, still 3D. Actual 2D fluid dynamics (which does not exist but is and has been studied mathematically and numerically) works surprisingly different than real-world 3D fluid dynamics.

I'm a PhD student working on turbulence and turbulence modelling, and the difference there between 2D and 3D is astronomically, much of the physics basically flips around. Fascinating stuff! Great video as always!

[DudeWhoSaysDeez]

"Ink is expensive"

*Prints a checkerboard

[DBurgur]

5:00
The Printer ink reference is pure gold

[djwilliams]

My dissertation focused on Rayleigh-Bénard convection, I observed by placing a thin layer of oil between two glass layers—one heated and the other cooled. (need large(ish) constant temperature gradient) This setup, resembling a manifold, was heated from below and cooled from above. The entire assembly was then positioned on an adapted overhead projector to magnify the convection cells onto a screen. This allowed for a clear visualisation of the hexagonal patterns that formed.

The topic has broad applications, even in the potential role of these convection cells in concentrating the chemicals necessary for life, suggesting a mechanism by which life's building blocks could be held in place long enough for life to emerge. the cells were quite stable and how matter was contained within them.

[earwighoney]

obsessed with how the 2d single source convection current moves like a top-down view of a rip current while the Rayleigh–Bénard convection moves like mini tectonic plates lol these examples really highlight just how often we see patterns like this everywhere

[srlf]

Taking a very long exposure shot with the green particles might result in an interesting photo

[jasondalton]

Miso soup! You can see the convection cells in hot miso soup!

[vonjos]

What do you call a river made entirely from chocolate and sweets?

A confection current

[Craftronix]

Its so facinating how you can see the same patterns all over the world and universe. Like this effect looking exactly like the skin of a croc. Or a walnut looking like a brain. Or the shell of a sea creature looking like a spiraling galaxy. The whole universe is a repeating fractal.

[stuartreed]

I also bought a Henson after your last sponsorship and I will never go back. Long time value and pristine quality.

[noelwade]

Fun with Large-Scale Convection: Those of us who fly gliders/sailplanes use convective plumes ("thermals") to climb thousands of feet and fly hundreds of miles/KMs without any engine! A typical "thermal" (a single plume of convection) is maybe 50-150 meters across and often exhibits the behavior shown in your very first demonstration at 2:20 : we see wide-spread gently-sinking air on the outskirts of thermals, and lots of turbulence / shear at the interface between the rising and sinking air that descends around the "core" of the thermal. Its quite a thrill to be rising up at several meters per second (i.e. several hundred feet per minute) with no visible energy source. Imagine rising up the height of the Empire State Building in 3 minutes, or the Shard (in London) in 2 minutes - with just the feeling of the air around you, bubbling/pushing up underneath your seat!

[goodnightut]

As an aeronautical engineer, this is absolutely astounding. These visualizations are so detailed! The way those cells moved in the time lapse was soo so cool. Nice work Steve! Thanks for such an interesting and exciting video!

[wicketprofessor]

Honestly, that HP ink joke at 5:00 is the pinnacle of humour CHANGE MY MIND

[JustALittleGhostOfHallownest]

It took me almost 30 seconds to realize that you just shifted to the sponsorship part. Bravo.

[lk]

Your convection cell demo is incredible.
Never thought id be excited about convection cells in a petrie dish. Thanks

[nomadMik]

Steve, 6:00 into this video: 'It happens on the surface of the sun, so I made a 2D model of that at home. It took a couple of goes to create fusion in a sustainable way; I'll post a video about that on my second channel, in case anyone can think of another use for that. Unfortunately, beads that don't melt in the plasma were really expensive, but I bought them anyhow…'

[b]

5:10 Those fluorescent particles were so worth it. Also those Rayleigh-Benard convections look so satisfying! Nice video!

[sukhjeetaujla]

Holy fuck that sneaky HP joke had me rolling on floor.😂

[OrageOnPC]

Thank you for sharing about convection cells! I got those patterns when I heated my agar plates. Left them in place when they solidified.