Size DOES Matter (the smaller the better)

ORAL

Abstract

A micro droplet generator was designed and constructed to automatically form and eject droplets in the micron size range in a repeatable manner. These droplets were used to investigate dynamic properties such as velocity, acceleration, and drag force. The working medium was composed of a 3 to 1 ratio of water to propylene glycol. An apparatus consisting of a camera, lamp, and electronics were used to facilitate observations of the droplets. Using Stokes' law we extrapolated the terminal velocity through precise measurements of droplet radii. The data revealed that during the ejection process, the droplets experienced a drag force many times their own weight. This led us to the surprising discovery that the droplets were experiencing a significantly large deceleration up to 30 times that of gravity.

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Authors

  • Annie O

    Hartnell College

  • Harjyot Mohar

    Hartnell College

  • Victor Hernandez

    Hartnell College

  • Sergey Savrasov

    Hartnell College, Cal State Univ- Long Beach, University of California, Davis, School of Natural Science, University of California, Merced, Seagate Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, University of California - Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder -- Dept of Physics, University of California, Berkeley -- Dept of Chemistry, UC Merced, California State University, Fresno, California Institute of Technology, California State University, Long Beach, La Canada Flintridge, CA, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, FL-32307, Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA-94550, Cal State Univ East Bay, American River College, UC Santa Cruz, Notre Dame High School, Benedict College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tuskegee University, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State University, Carnegie Observatories, University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Alabama, MPIfR, Bonn, Germany, Stanford University, University of California - Davis