Watching 25,000 Dice Neatly Arrange Themselves Shouldn't Be This Fascinating
21 hours ago
- #space-experiments
- #physics
- #granular-materials
- The 'compaction dynamics' trick involves packing granular materials like sugar by tapping to fit more into a container.
- Physicists studied packing identical cubes (dice) by rotating them in a cylinder, leading to neat concentric rings after 300,000 twists.
- Dice arranged more efficiently when twisted compared to tapping, as flat surfaces aligned under shear forces.
- The intensity of rotation affected packing speed; gentler twists took longer, while faster twists packed dice quicker.
- This method could be useful in low-gravity environments like space, where traditional tapping isn't feasible.
- Researchers are preparing experiments on granular materials for the International Space Station.