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Creating corners in kitchen sinks

Nature volume 392, pages 767–768 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

When a vertical jet of liquid from a nozzle hits a flat surface, as in tap water striking the kitchen sink, a discontinuity appears in a ring created by the flow. At this deformation the depth of the water alters abruptly (the ‘circular hydraulic jump’1,2,3,4,5) at some distance from the jet. We have now discovered that if the jet contains a liquid more viscous than water, stationary polygonal patterns form, breaking axial symmetry. The sharp corners of the polygons carry a large radial flux, while the sides generate resistance to the stream.

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Figure 1: The hydraulic jump experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Chaos and Turbulence Studies, The Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Clive Ellegaard, Adam Espe Hansen, Anders Haaning, Kim Hansen, Anders Marcussen, Tomas Bohr, Jonas Lundbek Hansen & Shinya Watanabe

Authors
  1. Clive Ellegaard
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  2. Adam Espe Hansen
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  3. Anders Haaning
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  4. Kim Hansen
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  5. Anders Marcussen
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  6. Tomas Bohr
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  7. Jonas Lundbek Hansen
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  8. Shinya Watanabe
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Ellegaard, C., Hansen, A., Haaning, A. et al. Creating corners in kitchen sinks. Nature 392, 767–768 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/33820

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