It’s an experiment that’s been conducted for over a hundred years now, but these days it’s incredibly easy to record and share the complex interactions of a drop of naphthenic oil as it plunges through a tank filled with isopropyl alcohol.
The unique patterns and shapes that are created as the oil drop makes its descent are formed by “hydrodynamic instabilities set up by velocity and density gradients between the liquids.” And because the oil is denser than the alcohol, it manages to stay together for a longer period before it begins to mix with the alcohol and lose its structure. Dammit science, why you so beautiful? [YouTube via Notcot]
