The Kaye Effect

I don’t remember where I found the link, but I was fascinated by what can happen (YouTube link to the same video) when you pour shampoo or other viscous liquids. The Wikipedia article states that “the surface suddenly spout[s] an upcoming jet of liquid which merge[s] with the downgoing one.” Arthur Kaye first described the phenomenon in 1963, but only a year ago, in April 2006, did a group of Dutch scientists (Michel Versluis et al.) manage to explain the effect. They also discovered a method to create a stable Kaye effect. You can download their article, “Leaping shampoo and the stable Kaye effect.” Michel Versluis et al, J. Stat. Mech. (2006) P07007, here at the IOP, or here.

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