Scientists taking on "the last great problem of classical physics' - Turbulence

Turbulence in fluid flow is everywhere, from the little whirlpools you see when you put your hand into a sink full of water, to the curling motions of water when a wave crashes on the shore, or the craziness of the air during storms, to the bumpy ride you may have experienced when a plane goes through regions of turbulence in the atmosphere. Turbulence has been studied for centuries, and yet there is still no mathematical law or rules that allows us to fully understand the nonlinear nature of this phenomenon. Fluid dynamics is a challenging area of research.

An international group of world-renowned scientists just received a $4 million grant to take on this challenge, using very sophisticated statistical physics techniques to try and better understand this behavior. If successful, computer models may be able to do things like help develop better designs to minimize the energy-sapping process of turbulence on motion of cars and planes through the air, perhaps saving billions of dollars in energy costs. Or improving the flow of water in the water systems of cities or directing water to where people need it.

For a high school student, check out a variety of fluid flow experiments you can set up to investigate turbulence in different situations, and see if you can make an experimental contribution to our understanding of this fascinating topic! One idea is to take different shaped objects, place them in the flow of water, and try to find shapes that minimize turbulent flow around that object. This is an example of looking at aerodynamics/hydrodynamics...if you can come up with shapes that have not been studied before, guess what, you are doing original research and should pursue it and share it!