Saturday 9 December 2017

Bubbles


Physicists in Austin, Texas are getting in on Christmas cheer by using a tiny hydrophone to study the noises made by bubbles in sparkling wines- champagne, cava and prosecco (phys.org/news/2017-12-champagne-acoustics-size-wine-quality.html). The idea seems to be that the frequency of the sounds produced depends on the size of the bubbles generated that hit the flute and this may be an indication of the quality of the wine (although size must surely also be influenced by how recently the bottle was opened and the temperature of the fluid). Perhaps their most useful observation is that the fizz produced in a styrofoam beaker is markedly inferior to that generated in a glass. Personally, I would prefer to taste the liquids rather than rely on bubble noise!

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