Why tornadoes and hurricanes lift up cars, cows, etc.

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Here’s a video I made for my nieces and any other young adults on why it is that tornadoes and hurricanes lift stuff up. It’s all centrifugal forces — the same forces that generate the low pressure zone at the center of hurricanes. The explanation is from Albert Einstein, who goes on show why it is that rivers don’t run straight; before you read any more of it, I’d suggest you first watch the video here. It’s from my Facebook page, so it should be visible.

If can’t see, you may have to friend me on Facebook, but until then the video shows a glass coffee cup with some coffee grounds and water in it. Originally, the grounds are at the bottom of the cup showing that they are heavier than the water. When I swirl the water in the cup, you’ll see that the grounds are lifted up into a heap in the center with some flowing all around in a circle — to the top surface and then to the walls of the cup. This is the same path followed by light things (papers for example) in a tornado. Cows, houses and cars that are caught up in real tornadoes get sucked in and lifted up too, but they never get to the top to be thrown outward.

The explanation for the lifting is that the upper layers of liquid swirl faster than the lower layers. As a result there is a low pressure zone above the middle of the swirl. The water (or air) moves upward into this lower pressure area and drags along with it cows, cars, houses and the like (Here’s another post on the subject of where the swirl comes from). The reason the swirl is faster above the bottom of the cup is that the cup bottom adds drag to the flow (the very bottom isn’t swirling at all). The faster rotating, upper flows have a reasonable amount of centrifugal force and thus a lower pressure in the middle of the swirl, and a higher pressure further out. The non-rotating bottom has a more uniform pressure that’s relatively higher in the middle, and relatively lower on the outside. As a result there is a secondary flow where air moves down around the outside of the flow and up in the middle. You can see this secondary flow in the video by following the lighter grounds.

Robert. E. Buxbaum. Weather is not exactly climate, but in my opinion both are cyclic and chaotic. I find there is little evidence that we can stop climate change, and suspect there is no advantage to wanting the earth colder. There was a tornado drought in 2013, and a hurricane draught too. You may not have heard of either because it’s hard to report on the storms that didn’t happen.

Here are the Princeton PhD group of 1980. I’m the hairy bearded fellow at right who’s looking the wrong way. My thesis advisor, Ernest Johnson is the suited fellow just left of center. Dave Ollis is in front of me, and Joe Calo is in front of him, etc. Visit my Facebook page to see how my friends tagged themselves. 35 years ago!
Princeton Chemical Engineering Grad-students, late 1970s. My thesis advisor is the tall fellow at center; I'm the bearded fellow at right looking the wrong way.

Princeton Chemical Engineering Grad-students, late 1970s. My thesis advisor is the tall fellow at center; I’m the bearded fellow at right looking the wrong way.

Robert E. Buxbaum trying to beautify Detroit

Here I am in Detroit with a professional tree planter trying to beautify the city by planting trees. It’s not much but it’s something. Trees are great, and they get nicer with age. Besides, two Detroiters joined in to plant in front of their houses. Working together brings peace.

Robert E. Buxbaum and friend planting trees in Detroit. Arbor day, 2012.

Robert E. Buxbaum and friend planting trees in Detroit. Arbor day, 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dining room, and my room at the Princeton Grad College.

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I took these pictures at reunions this year 2012; the first shot is the dining room at the Princeton Grad college. They favored robes for formal dinners when I started; the fellows in white are waiters– and we had stewards to help clean up our rooms. (Mine knew Einstein). The second photo shows the courtyard looking towards two of my dorm rooms. One year I was in the second floor room at left with the bay window. One year in the second floor room at upper right (barely visible).

GC dining 2 my dormroom

And here is the Grad Tower — Otherwise known as “Cleveland Tower” to honor Princeton alumnus, Grover Cleveland, and here’s the fireplace in the dining room. Reminds one of The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in that book by JK Rowling– Boar-scabs, I think. The motto: bonus entra, melior exi: good coming, better leaving.

Grad tower  GC dining fireplace

Here’s my PhD class; at first glance, you would not think we belong.

Robert Buxbaum, June, 2012

Detroit economics and the minimum wage

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A cause of Detroit’s financial problems, it seems to me, is that Detroit has an uncommonly high minimum wage, $13.75/hr for all employees in any company that contracts with the city and does not provide free health care; or $10.50/hr for companies that provide healthcare. This minimum, called a living wage, is about double the state minimum wage of $7.40.

Although the city is financially bankrupt, the city can not hire janitors and pay less than this, nor hire accountants from a company that pays its janitors less than this. Besides the burden on Detroit’s budget, this puts a burden on its unemployment system. Many in Detroit don’t possess the education or skills to justify jobs at this wage. This high minimum wage effectively cuts them from the bottom rung of jobs at these companies — jobs at the bottom of the ladder of success. Many businesses find innovative ways around the law, using corruption and bribes to skirt enforcement, if the recent trials of the mayor are any indication, but a system of corruption is not good for the city.

As these wages are far above standard, most employed workers for the city get their jobs by corruption and connections, and most everyone knows they got their jobs this way rather than skill. As a result, workers have no incentive to improve at their job. In a corrupt system like this, there is no likelihood that  a raise would come with improved performance.

The justification for the living wage is the cost to support a family of 4 or 5, but Detroit is a much cheaper place to live than most, and not all workers are supporting families of 4 or 5. It therefore makes little sense to force all potential workers to refuse entry-level employment at $8.00/hour, a wage that would allow a single, motivated individual a decent living and a chance to climb as his/her needs and skills grew. Instead of promoting hard work and merit, this ordinance fosters corruption and cronyism; it makes it expensive for the city to hire contractors, makes it hard for workers to get their first jobs, and removes the benefits that normally come with improved skills. It’s a disaster, I suspect, and a reason the city is bankrupt.

Dr. Robert E. Buxbaum is a self-employed curmudgeon who tries to speak the truth as he sees it.