If I drive my car through a corner slowly I’ll be fine. If I go fast, the car will skid off the road. All the materials are the same, the execution is the same. The only difference is over what amount of time this happens? The example is not important, the same goes for pretty much anything. Filling a bottle, ripping a sheet of paper..
I understand this from a intuitive perspective, but I wonder if someone can explain why time matters in physics in a simple way. What is the fundamental difference between doing something fast vs. slow.
I’m sure this is a silly question if you know some thermal dynamics or special relativity, but remember, I’m only 5!
In: Physics
> Filling a bottle
Fluid mechanics tends to be highly “nonlinear”, meaning that straightforward changes in the system can have very complicated impacts on how it behaves. For example using a larger or smaller bottle or pouring it more quickly or slowly can result in a completely different kind of flow. In particular there is a distinction between “laminar” flow in which the fluid flows in a smooth, orderly way, and “turbulent” flow in which it’s more random and chaotic. Generally if you pour liquid very slowly you will get laminar flow, and if you gradually increase the speed you will eventually hit a threshold at which it becomes turbulent (the threshold doesn’t depend purely on the speed – other factors are involved too such as how viscous the fluid is). You’ve probably come across that effect when pouring liquids out of bottles.
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