Pater Familias

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A MATHEMATICAL BREAKTHROUGH ON THE BUBBLES IN GUINNESS.

June 13, 2012 at 7:02 PM · Science

A MATHEMATICAL BREAKTHROUGH ON THE BUBBLES IN GUINNESS. This article from the technology review site published by MIT (May 28, 2012) is captioned “Irish Mathematicians Solve The Guinness Sinking Bubble Problem”. It begins: “One of the more intriguing conundrums in fluid dynamics is the puzzling behaviour of bubbles in Guinness, the famous Irish stout.” The Irish mathematicians have built upon the recent findings about the wave action in Guinness that I posted on yesterday. Their conclusion is that the shape of the glass (presumably the distinctive shape of the Guinness glass) causes a region of low bubble density near the glass walls. “This creates an imbalance that sets up a circulation pattern in which the liquid flows upwards in the centre of the glass and downwards near the walls.” The mathematicians have created a computer model of bubble behavior in Guinness which supports their theory.