This Fun Backyard Experiment Explains Hydrodynamic Levitation Perfectly

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.