SMBC Physics: Why are stones round? feat. Zach Weiner
Zach Weiner of SMBC comics is guest illustrator on MinutePhysics! http://www.smbc-comics.com Why are some stones round and others flat? Tweet it - http://bit.ly/xNraRa Facebook it...
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Have you ever noticed that some rounded stones are almost spherical, while others are kindof flat like a bar of soap? The spherical stones form that way because they never havethe chance to settle into a preferred orientation: they're either sloshing around in pot holes,or rolling along the bottom of a river, or if they're small enough, getting blown aroundby the wind.Since they have no preferred orientation, these stones get weathered the same amounton all sides, and they'll end up looking the same from all sides as well. That's sphericalsymmetry!But for flat stones, even if they're a smooth disk perfect for skipping, there's obviouslya preferred, or special, orientation - the direction perpendicular to, or 'away from&#...
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Have you ever noticed that some rounded stones are almost spherical, while others are kindof flat like a bar of soap? The spherical stones form that way because they never havethe chance to settle into a preferred orientation: they're either sloshing around in pot holes,or rolling along the bottom of a river, or if they're small enough, getting blown aroundby the wind.Since they have no preferred orientation, these stones get weathered the same amounton all sides, and they'll end up looking the same from all sides as well. That's sphericalsymmetry!But for flat stones, even if they're a smooth disk perfect for skipping, there's obviouslya preferred, or special, orientation - the direction perpendicular to, or 'away from&#...
