click here for the plus home page
© 1997-2004, Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge.
Permission is granted to print and copy this page on paper for non-commercial use. For other uses, including electronic redistribution, please contact us.
Careers with maths
icon

From satellites to the London Olympics, all in one career

A favourite from the archive...
icon

Discover why the number 6174 is so mysterious.

Subscribe to our RSS feed:
AddThis Feed Button subscribe to our RSS feed
 
September 2008
Tags

gravity current

Feature icon

Fluid mechanics is the study of flows in both liquids and gases, and is therefore enormously important in understanding many natural phenomena, as well as in industrial applications. Geophysicist Herbert Huppert tells us what happens when two fluids of different densities meet, for example when volcanos erupt and hot ash-laden air is poured out into the atmosphere.

Tags: granular flow : partial differential equation : volcanic eruption : gravity current : particle-laden gravity current : pyroclastic flow : turbidity flow