RESEARCHERS believe they have finally solved a 500-year-old ‘paradox’ by Leonardo da Vinci.
There are many things in the world of science that have perplexed scientists for decades.
GettyResearchers believe they have finally solved a 500-year-old ‘paradox’ by Leonardo da Vinci[/caption]
Universidad de Sevilla, Public DomainLeonardo’s paradox refers to air bubbles that spiral or zigzag on their way to the water’s surface, instead of going straight up[/caption]
One such mystery includes “Leonardo da Vinci’s air bubble Paradox”.
This paradox refers to air bubbles that spiral or zigzag on their way to the water’s surface, instead of going straight up.
For years, scientists have attempted to explain why this happens to no avail – that is, until now.
A new explanation has been proposed by professors Miguel Ángel Herrada from the University of Seville and Jens G. Eggers from the University of Bristol.
The findings are detailed in a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the study, the researchers conduct simulations that replicate high-precision measurements of the phenomenon.
This is known as using a “numerical discretization technique”, according to InterestingEngineering.com.
What the scientists found is that when air bubbles reach a certain radius they are forced into new, unstable paths.
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This happens due to the interaction between the flow of water and the subtle disintegration of their shapes.
The researchers explained further in the study: “The motion of bubbles in water plays a central role for a wide range of natural phenomena, from the chemical industry to the environment.
“The buoyant rise of a single bubble serves as a much-studied paradigm, both experimentally and theoretically,” they continued.
“Yet, in spite of these efforts, and in spite of the ready availability of enormous computing power, it has not been possible to reconcile experiments with numerical simulations of the full hydrodynamic equations for a deformable air bubble in water.
“This is true in particular for the intriguing observation, made already by Leonardo da Vinci, that sufficiently large air bubbles perform a periodic motion, instead of rising along a straight line.”
Researchers believe the study’s findings may be helpful in the future understanding of particles.