#instaphysics

Exactly 2 years, more than 50 posts and more than 10k followers later - a very special guest post by a good friend and an amazing chemist Lydia Kisley @Lydia_Kisley @manyweirddays !!! Thirsty? Some anise-flavored aperitifs (pastis, ouzu, absinthe) go from transparent to opaque with the addition of water. These drinks contain an essential oil. In the liquor alone these oily molecules are perfectly happy. But pour in some water and the molecules join others to form an emulsion– small droplets of oily molecules that separate from the water. The oily particles are microscopic and scatter light, making your drink cloudy. A delicious example of phase-separation - cheers! #Physics #InstaPhysics #ColloidsRCool #RealTimeChem #SciComm #OilAndWater #Scattering #Optics #Ricard #Pastis #SouthOfFrance #todayilearned #chemistry #mindblown #europe (hier: Grenoble, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn9HasdARdM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1lt2wsc89r8bh

Blown Away! Soap bubbles rely on a delicate balance between the surface tension of the soap film, pressure from inside and outside the bubble, and gravity. The tendency to minimize the wall tension gives bubbles its spherical shape. Even though the soap film has less surface tension than pure water (which pulls itself into tiny droplets) it is nevertheless strong enough to be able to maintain the bubble with such a small wall thickness. However, the life of a soap bubble is short: As gravity pulls the water to the bottom of the bubble, the walls thin and, eventually, cause the bubble to pop. #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #soapbubble #bubbles #bubbly #Berlin #Germany #weekendtrips (at Berlin, Germany)

Cloud Control. Clouds consist of tiny droplets of liquid water, small ice crystals or a mixture of the two. These droplets are about 0.02 mm (one thousandth of an inch) in size and form as a result of condensation of water vapor. Formation of droplets requires the presence of cloud condensation nuclei which are 0.0001 mm (one millionth of an inch) in size and can be composed of dust, soot, clay or even sea salt from the ocean. Cloud seeding encourages rainfall by artificially filling the air with condensation nuclei. #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #landing #canada #canadaeh #toronto #clouds #sky (at Toronto, Ontario)

Light it Up! The famous German drink Feuerzangenbowle is created by setting on fire a rum-soaked sugarloaf, which drips into heated Glühwein (mulled wine). Clean fuels like propane, natural gas, or alcohol in this case, burn mainly into carbon dioxide and water vapor, both of which are invisible. The yellow flames come from little pieces of soot, which don't heat up quite enough to contribute to the blue part of the spectrum. This is why the clean, blue flames are smokeless, while the dirty, yellow flames come with smoke. Other colors of the flame can be achieved by adding various chemicals to it: barium = green, copper = blue, lithium and strontium = red, calcium = orange, sodium = yellow. #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #scienceart #Germany #Dresdenlove #feuerzangenbowle #bottomsup #Christmastraditions #holidays2017 #happynewyear (at Dresden, Germany)

Science Versus Art. In 1704 Isaac Newton published “Opticks” – a book that analyzed the fundamental nature of light. A century later, Johann Goethe wrote the “Theory of Colours” in which he argued that the properties of light and color depend on the way it is perceived by humans. While the scientific basis of Goethe’s work was rejected by physicists, it was very influential in the arts community, particularly among pictorial artists such as Kandinsky. By combining 18th century enlightenment with 19th century romanticism, Goethe created a great example of science-based art. #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #scienceart #europe #statue #Goethe #Newton #art #scienceandart #Vienna #Austria #weekendtrip (at Vienna, Austria)

When Less is More. Are there more grains of sand in a sand heap than there are atoms in a single grain of sand? Using Avogadro’s number and assuming the sand is mostly SiO2, the number of atoms in a grain of sand is 1020. On the other hand, the volume occupied by 1020 grains of sand is 1000 cubic kilometers or 240 cubic miles. This corresponds to a volume of a cube with sides longer than 10 kilometers or 6 miles across, which would make a very large sand heap! #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #sand #beach #summer #corsica #france  #fun #volleyball #vacay #boatsboatsboats (at Le Village De Cargèse, Corse, France)

Hot as Ice. Pure water expands about 9% when it turns into ice. This expansion upon freezing is quite unusual and can be explained by the structure of the water molecule. Water atoms are disordered and hydrogen-oxygen bonds change frequently. Ice, on the other hand, has a rigid lattice. The expansion of water upon freezing is also responsible for ice’s lower density, allowing it to float in your drink. Inhabitants of lakes and rivers are also thankful for the ability of ice to float in the water. #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #ice #mountains #water #golden #colorado @britneyspears (at Golden, Colorado)

Deep Blue. The color of the ocean can be explained by the absorption and scattering of visible light. The red, orange, and yellow have longer wavelengths which are absorbed more strongly by water, while green and blue have shorter wavelengths which get scattered when the light from the sun enters the water. A green color is typically attributed to the presence of green algae floating in the water. Some algae turn red when they bloom, giving the Red Sea its name. #physics #photooftheday #picoftheday #smile #instagood #elearning #highered #science #openscience #mindblown #todayilearned #instaphysics #sea #ocean #water #blue #beach #nature #toronto #canada #landing #plane #Boeing #memorialday #memorialdayweekend (at Toronto, Ontario)