3A95.85 - Firehose Instability

Attach the Tygon hose to the compressed air in the classroom.  Hold it at least 18 inches away from the end and turn on the air full blast.  The end of the hose will show a chaotic movement. The paper sheet or flag, bell on the battery, Rayleigh-Taylor demo, and the edge tone demo are all examples of types of instabilities under the right conditions.
Code Number:
3A95.85
Demo Title:
Firehose Instability
Condition:
Excellent
Principle:
Instability and Chaos
Area of Study:
Chaos
Equipment:
Tygon hose, paper sheet or flag, bell on a 6 V. battery, Rayleigh-Taylor Instability demo, Edge Tone Generator demo.
Procedure:

See also 3A95.85 in Chaos and Rube Goldberg and 1N22.51 in Mechanics.

Attach the Tygon hose to the compressed air in the classroom.  Hold it at least 18 inches away from the end and turn on the air full blast.  The end of the hose will show a chaotic movement.  

The paper sheet or flag, bell on the battery, Rayleigh-Taylor demo, and the edge tone demo are all examples of types of instabilities under the right conditions.

References:
  • Bill Franklin, "The Reaction Force on a Hose", Teaching About Impulse and Momentum, p. 3.12.
  • Bill Franklin, "Hoses", Teaching About Impulse and Momentum, p. 2.10
  • Julien Clinton Sprott, "2.25, Firehose Instability", Physics Demonstrations - A Sourcebook for Teachers of Physics, p. 131.

Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist.  The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose.  The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources.  Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks.  These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage.  Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.