Monday, Lovely Rita the metered rain

Re: wag

Like a thick pancake???

Another WAG

Tear drop shaped?

Like your title for this question.

Re: Monday, Lovely Rita the metered rain

Didn't we have this same sort of question during the thread about shot towers? The reason they work is the same.

FNelson

Answer

I should have mentioned and conditioned from how high the water dropped as well as the size of the drop. First of all the tear drop shape is incorrect. The hamburger/pancake shape is correct to a point and the surface tensioned spherical drop is also only partially correct. Size does matter. The larger the water drop the more suseptible it is to alteration. Remember I stated in still air not a vacuum. When dropped from a height the air pressure on the bottom of the drop causes it to flatten (fat pancake) and ultimately it will form into a sort of ring with a nipple like projection. This projection will eventually become too thin and divide into two drops that will, through surface tension be of a general spherical shape but more like jello vibrating all over. Smaller drops tend to drop with less distortion than large drops.