Chain fountain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Template:Short description

File:Kettenfontäne d.jpg
Snapshot of chain fountain process

The chain fountain phenomenon, also known as self-siphoning beads, Newton's beads, or the Mould effect, is a physical phenomenon observed with a chain placed inside a jar. One end of the chain is pulled from the jar and is allowed to fall under the influence of gravity. This process establishes a self-sustaining flow of the chain which rises over the edge and goes down to the floor or ground beneath it, as if being sucked out of the jar by an invisible siphon. For chains with small adjacent beads, the arc can ascend into the air over and above the edge of the jar with a noticeable gap; this gap is greater when the chain falls farther.[1]

The self-siphoning effect is also observed in non-Newtonian fluids.

History

The self-siphoning phenomenon has been known for some time, and had become a topic of public discussion many times in the past. Science entertainer Steve Spangler presented this phenomenon on TV in 2009, both with beads and viscoelastic liquids.[2][3] This phenomenon is classically known as Newton's beads.[4]

The effect is most pronounced when using a long ball chain. The higher the jar containing the chain is placed above the ground, the higher the chain will rise above the jar during the "siphoning" phase. As demonstrated in an experiment, when the jar is placed 30 metres (98 ft) above the ground and the chain is sufficiently long, the arc of the chain fountain can reach a height of about Template:Cvt above the jar.[non-primary source needed][5]

In 2011, the phenomenon with the rising chain was described as an open problem[a] for the 2012 International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT).[6][4]

In 2013, science presenter Steve Mould brought the chain problem to widespread public attention.[7] In a YouTube video,[8] he demonstrated the phenomenon of self-siphoning rising beads, and he then presented his proposed explanation on a BBC show.[9] This publicity caught the attention of academics John Biggins and Mark Warner of Cambridge University.[10][11]

In 2014, Biggins and Warner published their findings on the problem in Proceedings of the Royal Society, regarding what they called the "chain fountain" or the "Mould effect".[12][13][14][7]

In 2025, NASA astronaut Donald Pettit tested a bead chain in the zero gravity environment of the International Space Station to test Mould’s hypotheses about the phenomena.[15]

Explanation

Page Template:Stack/styles.css has no content.

File:Kettenfontäne slow motion.ogv
Slow-motion video showing chain fountain dynamics.

A variety of explanations have been proposed as to how the phenomenon can best be explained in terms of kinematic physics concepts such as energy and momentum.[16][17][18][19]

Biggins and Warner suggest that the origin of the upward force is related to the stiffness of the chain links, and the bending restrictions of each chain joint.[7][12]

Furthermore, because the beads of the chain can drag laterally within the jar across other stationary links, the moving beads of the chain can bounce or jump vertically when they strike the immobile links. This effect contributes to the chain's movement, but is not the primary cause.[12][18]

In non-Newtonian fluids

The self-siphoning phenomenon can be also observed in viscoelastic fluids[20] that are mainly composed of long polymers, like polyethylene glycol.[2][21]

See also

Notes

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Statement of problem 3. String of beads: "A long string of beads is released from a beaker by pulling a sufficiently long part of the chain over the edge of the beaker. Due to gravity the speed of the string increases. At a certain moment the string no longer touches the edge of the beaker. Investigate and explain the phenomenon.")

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yam, Philip (2013-07-03). "Gravity-Defying, Self-Siphoning Metal Beads Explained [Video]". Scientific American.
  2. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Arney, Helen; Mould, Steve (2017-10-05). The Element in the Room: Science-y Stuff Staring You in the Face. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78840-004-6.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sick Science (2009-07-29), Newton's Beads - Cool Science Experiment, retrieved 2021-07-24
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martchenko, Ilya; Malinowski, Maciej; Oszmaniec, Michał (2011-10-09). "Preparation to the Young Physicists' Tournaments' 2012" (PDF). International Young Physicist Tournament.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.第1期-刘谦郎朗被吊起"命悬一杯" 撒贝宁对大炮求虐【加油！向未来20160703】 (in 中文).
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Problems". IYPT archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-03-01.
  7. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gibney, Elizabeth (2014-01-15). "Physicists explain 'gravity-defying' chain trick". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2014.14523.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mould, Steve (2013-02-20). "Self siphoning beads". YouTube.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Amazing bead chain experiment in slow motion". YouTube. BBC Earth Unplugged. 2013-06-27.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Understanding the chain fountain: A problem-solving partnership (w/ Video)". Phys.org. 2014-01-15.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wade, Lizzie (2014-01-14). "Video: How the 'Chain Fountain' Defies Gravity". Science.
  12. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Biggins, J. S.; Warner, M. (2014). "Understanding the chain fountain". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 470 (2163) 20130689. arXiv:1310.4056. Bibcode:2014RSPSA.47030689B. doi:10.1098/rspa.2013.0689. S2CID 37699566.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Royal Society (2014-01-15). "Understanding the chain fountain". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  14. ^ Steve Mould, Investigating the "Mould Effect", TEDxNewcastle, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmFi1xhz9OQ
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Felton, James (2025-10-13). "NASA Lets YouTuber Steve Mould Test His "Weird Chain Theory" In Space". IFLScience. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Goodman, William (2013-06-25). "See physics phenomenon of self siphoning beads". CBS News.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bhatia, Aatish (2013-07-01). "The physics of that gravity-defying chain of metal beads". Wired. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  18. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Flekkøy, Eirik G.; Moura, Marcel; Måløy, Knut J. (2018). "Mechanisms of the Flying Chain Fountain". Frontiers in Physics. 6 84. Bibcode:2018FrP.....6...84F. doi:10.3389/fphy.2018.00084. hdl:10852/68287. ISSN 2296-424X.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pantaleone, J. (2017-05-16). "A quantitative analysis of the chain fountain". American Journal of Physics. 85 (6): 414–421. arXiv:1910.03125. Bibcode:2017AmJPh..85..414P. doi:10.1119/1.4980071. ISSN 0002-9505. S2CID 125247401.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Graebel, William (2001-01-19). Engineering Fluid Mechanics. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-56032-733-2.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Gravi-Goo: A Self-Siphoning Gel". Steve Spangler. Retrieved 2024-11-13.

Bibliography

Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.

Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
Script error: No such module "Sister project logo".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Self-siphoning beads.Template:Preview warning

Template:Non-Newtonian fluids

Retrieved from "https://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=Chain_fountain&oldid=12923963"