Study of Waving of grass using soap film

ORAL

Abstract

Wind blowing over a grass field incites synchronized response from the grass blades, which appear as waves. This effect is called Mo-nami in a terrestrial setting, while in an aquatic setting it is termed as Ho-nami. We use a combination of experimental observations, numerical simulations and theoretical analysis to understand this effect. The experiment is conducted in two-dimensional realization of these phenomenon in a gravity driven soap film tunnel. Nylon filaments attached to the boundaries of the soap film play the role of the grass. We provide a preliminary characterization of this analog model for synchronized oscillations of grass.

Authors

  • Ravi Singh

    Brown University

  • Shreyas Mandre

    Brown University, School of Engineering, Brown University

  • Amala Mahadevan

    Brown University

  • L. Mahadevan

    Harvard University

  • Mahesh Bandi

    Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology