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Niels Bohr: 1885–1962

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Index to Volume 29

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Drops and turbulence

Solution and notes

Ideas about liquid drops and turbulence come together in three linked sections that discuss the formation of raindrops, conditions for astronomical observation and a model of the nucleus

What is the difference between droplets and drops?

What is the difference between a drop and a droplet? Is a droplet simply a little drop?

The obvious shape of a drop(let) is a sphere. Think of a sphere with radius r, then scale up to one with radius nr. The surface area will be multiplied by n2 and the volume by n3 (Mathskit, PHYSICS REVIEW Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 21–23). Liquid drop(let)s are held together by surface tension forces, which are proportional to surface area (r2). If a drop is ‘too large’, its weight (proportional to volume, r3) distorts the spherical shape, and the drop may break into smaller droplets. However, there is more to it than that.

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Niels Bohr: 1885–1962

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Index to Volume 29

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