In the photograph below, a spoon is hanging with its convex surface just under the edge of a water faucet. When the water is turned on it will strike the convex side of the spoon. The spoon is hanging using a bifilar suspension, so that it can move right-to-left (if it wants to) but not in or out of the plane of the picture.
The question this week involves what, if any, effect turning the water on will have on the position of the spoon. In particular, will the water stream push the spoon away (toward the right in the picture), pull the spoon into itself (to the left in the picture), or will the water simply move around the spoon without actually moving the spoon?
When the water is turned on, striking the convex surface of the spoon,
Click here for Answer #228 after October 24, 2005.
