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Smoke ring

Smoke ring is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Smoke ring rather than just read about it. In short: A smoke ring is a visible vortex ring formed by smoke in a clear atmosphere. Smokers may blow smoke rings from the mouth, intentionally or accidentally.

Smoke ring — main illustration
Smoke ring — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Smoke ring belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Smoke ring to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Smoke ring from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A smoke ring is a visible vortex ring formed by smoke in a clear atmosphere. Smokers may blow smoke rings from the mouth, intentionally or accidentally. Smoke rings may also be formed by sudden bursts of fire (such as lighting and immediately putting out a cigarette lighter), by shaking a smoke source (such as an incense stick) up and down, by firing certain types of artillery, or by the use of special devices, such as vortex ring guns and vortex ring toys. The head of a mushroom cloud is a large smoke ring. A smoke ring is commonly formed when a puff of smoke is suddenly injected into clear air, especially through a narrow opening. The outer parts of the puff are slowed by the still air (or by edges of the opening) relative to the central part, imparting it the characteristic poloidal flow pattern. The smoke makes the ring visible, but does not significantly affect the flow. The same phenomenon occurs with any fluid, producing vortex rings which are invisible but otherwise entirely similar to smoke rings. Rare visible vortex rings produced by volcanoes have been incorrectly called "smoke rings", despite being formed by the condensation of erupting steam, rather than by combustion.

Smoking and breathing

A smoker may produce rings by taking smoke into their mouth and expelling it with a tongue flick, by closing the jaw, tapping the cheek, or producing a sudden burst of air with the lungs and throat. The smoker may also use any of those methods to blow into a cloud of smoke outside their mouth. A trick often performed in conjunction with mouth-blown smoke rings is the French inhale. It is also possible to produce a vapour ring by using the same techniques on a cold day by exhaling. The most famous such steam rings were those produced during the mid-20th century by Douglas Leigh's billboard on the Hotel Claridge in New York City's Times Square, advertising Camel cigarettes. An automated steam chamber behind the billboard produced puffs of steam every four seconds, giving the appearance of smoke rings leaving the smoker's open mouth and drifting away. Inspired by a World War II-era prohibition on lighted advertising, the Camel smoker remained a Times Square landmark long afterwards. Some users of electronic cigarettes modify their devices to inhale large amounts of vapour at once, to exhale "clouds" in patterns like smoke rings.

See also Bubble ring

References

External links

Media related to Smoke rings at Wikimedia Commons How to puff a smoke ring? Vortex rings generated by eruptions of Etna volcano Vortex rings from Stromboli volcano Instructions on building a smoke ring cannon Smoke rings at US Army disposals in Iraq (see images on bottom) Thomson, Sir William (Lord Kelvin), On Vortex Atoms, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol. VI, 1867, pp. 94–105. Silliman, Robert H., William Thomson: Smoke Rings and Nineteenth-Century Atomism, Isis, Vol. 54, No. 4. (Dec., 1963), pp. 461–474. JSTOR link Movie of a modern recreation of Tait's smoke ring experiment

Illustrations

Smoke ring: Smoke ring from a smoke chamber
Smoke ring from a smoke chamber
Smoke ring: Vortex ring from Mount Etna
Vortex ring from Mount Etna
Smoke ring: Smoke rings are also emitted by various types of weapons.
Smoke rings are also emitted by various types of weapons.
Smoke ring: Man blowing smoke rings
Man blowing smoke rings

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Smoke ring

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Smoke ring claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Smoke ring before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Smoke ring ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Smoke ring

In research
Smoke ring appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Smoke ring in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Smoke ring is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Smoke, Smoking, Vortices, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Smoke ring outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Smoke ring in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Smoke ring means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Smoke ring out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Smoke ring in simple terms?

A smoke ring is a visible vortex ring formed by smoke in a clear atmosphere. Smokers may blow smoke rings from the mouth, intentionally or accidentally.

Why does Smoke ring matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Smoke ring?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Smoke ring.

Tags

  • Smoke
  • Smoking
  • Vortices

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