The story begins with Rohit Velankar, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, who noticed a peculiar phenomenon while pouring juice into a glass. As he heard the rhythmic “glug, glug, glug” sound, he couldn’t help but wonder if the elasticity of the container influenced the way the fluid drained. This simple question sparked a scientific curiosity in Rohit, leading him to undertake a science fair project in collaboration with his father, Sachin Velankar, a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
Together, Rohit and Sachin set up an experiment in their family’s basement to investigate the relationship between container flexibility and fluid draining. Their findings, which were eventually published in the journal Physics of Fluids, revealed some intriguing results. Initially, Rohit discovered that deli containers with rubber lids emptied faster than those with plastic lids, shedding light on the underlying mechanism of the “glugging” phenomenon.
Creating Customized Acrylic Bottles for Experimental Validation
To further explore their hypothesis, the Velankars decided to create their own customized acrylic bottles with rubber lids using the resources available at Fox Chapel Area High School’s makerspace. By incorporating sensors near the bottom of each bottle to measure pressure oscillations during drainage, they were able to simulate flexibility by adjusting the diameter of the hole. This experimental setup allowed them to confirm their initial findings – that flexible bottles drain faster, albeit with larger and less frequent glugs.
The implications of Rohit and Sachin Velankar’s research extend beyond the realm of simple observation. By delving into the intricate interplay between container elasticity and fluid dynamics, they have provided valuable insights that could potentially be applied to various industries. Understanding how different types of containers interact with the fluids they hold can lead to improvements in packaging design, transportation efficiency, and even medical technology.
The collaborative efforts of Rohit and Sachin Velankar have shed light on a seemingly mundane yet intriguing aspect of everyday life – the way fluids drain from containers. By combining scientific curiosity with innovative experimentation, they have not only deepened our understanding of fluid dynamics but also exemplified the beauty of collaborative research. This father-son duo’s journey from a basement experiment to a published paper serves as a testament to the power of curiosity and exploration in scientific discovery.