Introduction :- :-
Have you ever noticed how your chocolate syrup
coils when you pour it on your ice cream? Or how the soft ice cream doesn't
just fill your cone up like water would, that it forms large loops instead? Our
hypothesis is that it is due to the thick nature of these liquids. They belong
to a group known as "thyrotrophic" liquids. That is, they are liquids
because they are not solid, but they are, in some cases, incredibly thick and
viscous. The reason motor oil is used in engines is because it is thick enough
to stick to the piston shaft and stay there for a relatively long period of
time.
As we all know, the colder an object is, the closer together its
molecules become due to the lessened energy state. It is our belief that this
can affect the coiling of certain liquids. Also, the size of the stream could
possibly have an effect, because without the correct amount of molecules, the
stream should just fall straight. The size can be affected in two ways: by
changing the size of the funnel's diameter, and by changing the height at which
the funnel is placed. Perhaps the material of the surface onto which the liquid
is poured can affect its coiling ability.
Purpose
To determine why certain liquids coil, and what
conditions control this coiling effect.
Apparatus
1. Table Syrup
2. Chocolate Syrup
3. Ketchup/Catsup
4. Mustard
5. Honey
6. Mr. Bubble
7. Ring Stand
8. Funnels With Different Diameters
9. Aluminum Pie Pan Substrate
10. Plastic Tupperware Substrate
11. Glass Casserole Dish Substrate
12. Metal Cake Pan Substrate
13. Clay Triangle
14. Graduated Cylinder
Methods
1. Set up the ring stand.
Place a clay triangle on the ring, then place the
appropriate funnel on the ring stand.
Decide which variable will be worked with, set up
the experiment as such.
Pour quantity into the funnel, while blocking the
spout on bottom, to prevent the flow.
Remove the stop from the spout and time the
pouring of the liquid for 20 seconds while counting the number of coils it
makes during that time.
Change the value of the current variable you are
working with.
Repeat steps 4-6 for several more values with that
particular liquid.
Repeat steps 3-7 with a different liquid.
Repeat steps 3-8 with a different independent
variable.
Results
Figure showing Data Table And Graphs For Number Of
Coils On Four Different Substrates (Glass, Aluminum, Plastic, and Metal).
Metal Dish
|
Glass Dish
|
Aluminum
Dish
|
Plastic Dish
|
|
Chocolate
Syrup
|
60
|
55
|
84
|
68
|
Honey
|
50
|
49
|
44
|
40
|
Maple Syrup
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Applications
Machines in outer space use liquid fuels. It is
not desirable for these liquids to coil as they enter the combustion chamber,
because it is inefficient and dangerous. This is due to the fact that the fuel
could coil back into the fuel line where combustion could take place due to a
chain reaction thereby destroying the fuel tanks and everyone in the vehicle,
not to mention the vehicle itself. The coiling can be controlled by varying the
temperature of the fuel.
Some more “down to earth” applications would be in
the food industry. Currently when you’re getting a soft ice cream cone the
server has to move their hand in a circular motion to the “coily” shape. By
adjusting the temperature and the pressure of the ice cream dispenser, the ice
cream could be forced to coil on its own. This would be helpful and reduce
preparation time as well as reduce the risk of carpel tunnel syndrome.
Liquid metal, being relatively thick, should coil.
So if it were poured into a vat of super cooled liquid it would be produce a
spring with a very small diameter. The variables could be changed to change the
spring’s “spring constant” for various uses. This would save on the
construction of machinery needed to build these springs. It would also create
springs that do not have seams in them, thereby making them stronger and
durable.
Conclusion
The majority of the experiments proved that there
are a maximum number of coils for each variable. In the variable temperature
experiment, there appeared to be a maximum number of coils. Any temperature
above this the number of coils dropped. Similarly, as the temperature of that
liquid was dropped, the number of coils decreased. The maple syrup’s ideal
temperature is considerably lower than that of honey and chocolate syrup.
The
ideal temperature is determined by the thickness of the liquid. The coils are caused
by molecular backwash. As the molecules hit the substrate, some of them ‘bounce
back’ towards the stream, blocking the path of the stream, and thereby creating
coils. If there are too many molecules, then the coils will not form, because
the mass is too great, thus, when the flow rate is increased the number of
molecules in the stream increases. Comparatively, when the flow rate is
decreased, due the fewer molecules in the stream, the backwash is less, causing
fewer coils. According to the experiments, the substrate upon which the stream
is poured has little to no effect on the number of coils. As the height of the
funnel containing the liquid is increased, the number of coils increased for
the honey. This is because of the decrease in molecules at the point of
contact, therefore spreading out the thicker liquid to make more coils.
However, in the case of chocolate syrup, the amount of coils increased to a
point. This is because at the beginning height, there were too many molecules,
but as the liquid began to taper the coils started to decrease again. Two of
the funnels we were using had the same diameter spout, but one of them had
‘coiling guides’ in the mouth of the funnel. For the honey, it appeared to
increase the coiling; it is because it had already started to spiral within the
shaft. Although we did not do an experiment on the application of force, it
appears that by applying a force to the liquid it appears that the coiling can
be increased, this was seen, both with the bottle of chocolate syrup and
catsup.