Suspension

         We as humans experience physics everywhere around us and in our everyday lives. Some of these examples can be natural physics; like water flowing down a waterfall. There is also contrived physics, which is what is happening in my picture. At first glance, it can be a bit difficult to realize what the object in the photograph actually is. What could create air bubbles being suspended in a liquid? What could be cloudy in the actual liquid, but you can clearly see the widows appearing in the air bubbles? Well to answer that question, the subject in my photograph is a bottle of hand sanitizer. When a person pushes down the top of a hand sanitizer pump, it will suck air in as the pump returns back to its original form. The air that is pushed down into the tube forms the interesting air bubbles that become suspended into the clear jelly-like liquid. In order for these bubbles to form, a human interaction is needed; which is why this is considered a contrived physics photograph.

Physics of the Photo

In this photograph it demonstrates physics in the way that the picture is cool along with the same way that physics is cool. In all reality the way that physics is demonstrates surface tension. Water wants to stick to hard surfaces as this is a lower energy arrangement. Components of gravity perpendicular to glass pulls water away from glass wall, and surface tension pulls water to the glass wall. When the angle between the glass wall and vertical direction is small, components of gravity perpendicular to the glass wall is small and surface tension prevails. If pouring fast the momentum of the water will pull it free of the glass and it will pour cleanly. If poured slowly enough it is more energetic for the water to remain stuck to the glass and it will flow over the lip and down the outside of the glass.

The Morning Surprise

Frost

Hoar frost also hoarfrost, radiation frost, or pruina refers to white ice crystals deposited on the ground or loosely attached to exposed objects, such as wires or leaves. They form on cold, clear nights when conditions are such that heat radiates out to the open air faster than it can be replaced from nearby sources, such as wind or warm objects. Under suitable circumstances, objects cool to below the frost point of the surrounding air, well below the freezing point of water. Such freezing may be promoted by effects such as flood frost or frost pocket. These occur when ground-level radiation losses cool air until it flows downhill and accumulates in pockets of very cold air in valleys and hollows. Hoar frost may freeze in such low-lying cold air even when the air temperature a few feet above ground is well above freezing. The word hoar comes from an Old English adjective that means "showing signs of old age". In this context, it refers to the frost that makes trees and bushes look like white hair.