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Splash (fluid mechanics)

Splash (fluid mechanics) is a physics 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 Splash (fluid mechanics) rather than just read about it. In short: In fluid mechanics, a splash is a sudden disturbance to the otherwise quiescent free surface of a liquid (usually water). The disturbance is typically caused by a solid object suddenly hitting the surface, although splashes can occur in which moving liquid supplies the energy.

Splash (fluid mechanics) — main illustration
Splash (fluid mechanics) — illustration

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

In fluid mechanics, a splash is a sudden disturbance to the otherwise quiescent free surface of a liquid (usually water). The disturbance is typically caused by a solid object suddenly hitting the surface, although splashes can occur in which moving liquid supplies the energy. This use of the word is onomatopoeic; in the past, the term "plash" has also been used. Splash also happens when a liquid droplet impacts on a liquid or a solid surface; in this case, a symmetric corona (resembling a coronet) is usually formed as shown in Harold Edgerton's famous milk splash photography, as milk is opaque. Historically, Worthington (1908) was the first one who systematically investigated the splash dynamics using photographs. Splashes are characterized by transient ballistic flow, and are governed by the Reynolds number and the Weber number. In the image of a brick splashing into water, one can identify freely moving airborne water droplets, a phenomenon typical of high Reynolds number flows; the intricate non-spherical shapes of the droplets show that the Weber number is high. Also seen are entrained air bubbles in the body of the water, and an expanding ring of disturbance propagating away from the impact site. Sand is said to splash if hit sufficiently hard (see dry quicksand) and sometimes the impact of a meteorite is referred to as splashing, if small bits of ejecta are formed. Physicist Lei Xu and coworkers at the University of Chicago discovered that the splash due to the impact of a small drop of ethanol onto a dry solid surface could be suppressed by reducing the pressure below a specific threshold. For drops of diameter 3.4 mm falling through air, this pressure was about 20 kilopascals, or 0.2 atmosphere. A plate made of a hard material on which a stream of liquid is designed to fall is called a "splash plate". It may serve to protect the ground from erosion by falling water, such as beneath an artificial waterfall or water outlet in soft ground. Splash plates are also part of spray nozzles, such as in irrigation sprinkler systems.

See also Drop impact Slosh, other free surface phenomenon

References

Illustrations

Splash (fluid mechanics): A splash after half a brick hits the water; the image is about half a metre across.
A splash after half a brick hits the water; the image is about half a metre across.
Splash (fluid mechanics): A drop of water splashing onto a hard surface
A drop of water splashing onto a hard surface
Splash (fluid mechanics): A drop of water splashing onto a water surface, showing the formation of a back-jet
A drop of water splashing onto a water surface, showing the formation of a back-jet

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Splash (fluid mechanics)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Splash (fluid mechanics) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, 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 Splash (fluid mechanics) 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 Splash (fluid mechanics) 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 Splash (fluid mechanics)

In research
Splash (fluid mechanics) appears in physics 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 Splash (fluid mechanics) 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
Splash (fluid mechanics) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fluid dynamics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Splash (fluid mechanics) 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 Splash (fluid mechanics) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Splash (fluid mechanics) 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 Splash (fluid mechanics) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Splash (fluid mechanics) in simple terms?

In fluid mechanics, a splash is a sudden disturbance to the otherwise quiescent free surface of a liquid (usually water). The disturbance is typically caused by a solid object suddenly hitting the surface, although splashes can occur in which moving liquid supplies the energy.

Why does Splash (fluid mechanics) matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 Splash (fluid mechanics)?

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 Splash (fluid mechanics).

Tags

  • Fluid dynamics

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