BREAKFAST AND PHYSICS- CHEERIOS EFFECT

You cannot escape Physics if you are genuinely curious well not even on the breakfast table
How ? Let me tell you
Have you ever noticed how Cheerios in your meal bowl tend to form clusters in the center or the edges.It is as if they were some sort of suspicious force making them behave this way.
No one knew the secret until 2005 when a pair of "mathematicians" solved the mystery

Here's the simple Physics behind it -
Cheerios float on the surface of milk because they are less dense than water and milk is mostly water. Look at the place where cereal meets the milk. Can you see it , here it is slightly curved upward.

 This upward curvature is also there at the point where the milk meets the edge (meniscus effect) Because Cheerios are lighter than milk they want to slide up that meniscus. It's like they actually want to go up to the highest point that actually what makes them stick to the edges or just stick together.
Well I don't recommend eating paper clips but when you gently place them on the liquid surface and tend to push them together , they repel each other and also repel the edges of the container. What's happening here ?? Paperclips are held together by the force of surface tension(not by the buoyant force as in the case of Cheerios )  , they are heavier than water so they curve the meniscus down. Since they are heavier than water , they want to slide down the meniscus and that's why they attract.

You can also try it out with thumbtacks . They curve the meniscus down and attract each other for the same reason as paperclips.

 If you will remove the plastic coating and let it surf on the water surface and try to bring thumbtacks closer to it , they will repel 😎
Similar thing will happen if you will try to push Cheerios and paperclips together.
The point is that the things that curve the water different ways don't like to stick together. They just cannot find a common point to be with each other.
You know , there is a way you can check out whether substance is held by buoyant force or surface tension. What all you need for this is soap. It Lowers the surface tension but has no effect on buoyant force so anything that is held by the surface tension will sink. Cool eh ...try this at home
Same effect is responsible for the clustering of bubbles in your tea cup.
Well you might be wondering what's the use of all this?
Aha..good question 😼
This concept is extremely useful if you are tiny as an insect.

Insect taking advantage of water accelerator

 They are clever enough to make use of this phenomenon to have a water accelerator to come out on the edge of the glass. Woah beauty !

So next time you sit to have your breakfast , don't forget to cherish the simple yet cool science you have right there in your bowl.
Every event happening around you is waiting to get comprehended; just be observant and patient enough to form a story 💫

Can attraction of cheerios be explained using surface energy ? let's know in the comments :)




refrences-
It's Okay To Be Smart -

https://youtu.be/mbKAwk-OG_w

Martin F. Haase

https://youtu.be/NIcNrsTlbVU