This Fun Backyard Experiment Explains Hydrodynamic Levitation Perfectly

Jessica Miley

Backyard science experiments are always fun, but throw in some levitation and you got yourself a party. The team at Veritasium created this great video explaining the science behind Hydrodynamic levitation. The guys gather around a sprinkler throwing balls of various sizes into the stream to see if they will “float”. And they do - much to the genuine delight of the team.

The guys use a bunch of different balls and discs to demonstrate the physics. Basically, as the stream of water contacts the ball, it pushes it up and the ball forces the water over itself. It remains its stability by balancing the forces from the ball to water and vice versa. The video slows down the footage so you can really see the way the water envelops the object creating the adhesion needs to make the object stable.

The team is clearly having a great time! The idea is brought to the channel by the host, Derek's friend Blake, who is a toy designer. If you want to check out the way they built the set up with the water sprinkler that allows the experiment you can watch his informative videos too. These backyard science experiments videos are really fun and this one is particularly perfect as the mercury rises. While the science doesn’t have huge applications, there is some cardiovascular technology that uses Hydrodynamic levitation principles in pumps.  

Via Veritasium

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