It is not only the size, but the
shape of a tube that determines whether a liquid will spill out of it when
tipped over. Glasses of liquid, when turned horizontally, inevitably spill. This
is not necessarily the case, however with thin straws, which, when turned on
their sides, can retain liquid in them. This simple relationship was thought to
be based on the size of the tube opening but researchers from University of
Oxford have determined that this rule does not always hold true. The shape of
the tube turns out to be important too, and if it is squashed enough – forming an
elliptical shape – then no matter how thin the straw is the liquid will always
spill out. This new discovery has applications in technologies that deal with
liquids on small scales – such as biomedical diagnostics, oil recovery and
inkjet printing – where choosing the right tube shape could be as important as
its size.
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