dilatant

[ersatz-read.livejournal.com]

dilatant; adj.  A dilatant substance is one whose viscosity increases with rate of shear (force that causes two contiguous parts to slide relative to each other).

Newtonian fluids are fluids that continue to flow regardless of forces acting on them.  Water is a Newtonian fluid.  Non-Newtonian fluids act counter to what we might expect.

Etymology:  dilatant is related to "dilate" (Latin); it refers to an increase in volume when the substance changes shape.

Dilatants are also called shear thickening materials.  Shear thinning materials (materials whose viscosity decrease with rate of shear) include pseudoplastics and thixotropics.

Dilatants have been used in automobile traction control systems,and are being researched for use in body armor.  That sounds a bit like the personal shields in Dune, which could only be breached by slow motions!

But this is supposed to be a food-themed post....

Ketchup is a pseudoplastic:  it will stick inside the bottle, but when sufficiently shaken it will suddenly begin to flow freely.  Yet once it's out of the bottle and no longer being shaken, it will stay in place (more or less) on your cheeseburger.  It's science!

Oobleck is a dilatant.  To make oobleck, mix 1 part water with roughly 2 parts cornstarch.  The substance reacts much like a solid surface when struck, but like a liquid when touched.  There are numerous online videos demonstrating the bizarre properties of oobleck, and it's a fun kitchen experiment.  If you watch The Big Bang Theory, you might have seen oobleck on a speaker cone being turned into dancing blobs and spikes by the sound waves.

(no subject)

[nerdfury.livejournal.com]

Slightly late, my apologies. As you should all expect, here's some words without English equivalents!

Toska
Russian
Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”

Jayus
Indonesian
A joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh

Litost
Czech
The closest definition is a state of agony and torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery.

Kyoikumama

Japanese
A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement.


So in sad news, our own imifumei has sent me a message to advise that she has taken a job overseas, and will no longer be able to post. Sad to see you go, but it was great having you! You'll always be welcome back if you want. :D

Now, you might have noticed a bit of a lack of posting of late. I can hardly speak, since I've had some issues catching up, but there seems to be only three regular posters now. I admity I've been remiss myself, and might not have seen if anyone's posted about needing to take a break or quit, so I'm not sure where all the posters stand. Do we have any new volunteers to help pick up the slack?

Let me know!