In current affairs news: Teen boffin with lots of potential crafts electric honeycombs out of oil

A teenager studying electrically charged particles has captured the formation of an ill-understood electric honeycomb structure called the Rose window. The Rose window – named after stained-glass designs in Gothic churches – is interesting to physicists, because how electricity moves through fluids is important for printing, …

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder if such research might lead to an explanation for the hexagonal cloud formation at Saturn’s North pole?

[whitepines]

That one already has a solid explanation as a hexagonal resonance due to the difference in cloud speeds at differing latitudes. Apparently Saturn's atmosphere has just the right viscosity (or lack thereof) to allow it to happen.

There's a physics demo floating around also showing the resonance using a spinning bucket and some water. No electric fields needed to explain that one!

[Peshman]

What's the discovery?

As a teenager I observed the formation of crystals in a bath of Copper Sulphate solution by introducing an electrical charge. I investigated the phenomenon, well known by this point, and wrote up a conclusion on why it occurred. Am I missing something in this story?

I'm ,by no means, a boffin.

[Paul Kinsler]

Re: Am I missing something in this story?

What you are missing is that for more information, you read the research paper (which is freely available online, and linked in the article).

[Mystic Megabyte]

Mpemba

I like to quote the Mpemba effect when someone makes the mistake of using logic (or the lack of it) instead of experimentation. I tried to discuss this with a con-trail conspiracy believer but made little progress :(

So well done Muhammad Shaheer Niazi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect

Edit: Mpemba was initially mocked for his observation.

[DropBear]

Re: Mpemba

Yes, and every time I see that mentioned, the part that I immediately get reminded of is this one:

"In 2016, Burridge and Linden defined the criterion as the time to reach 0 °C (32 °F), carried out experiments and reviewed published work to date.[1] They noted that the large difference originally claimed had not been replicated, and that studies showing a small effect could be influenced by variations in the positioning of thermometers. They say " We conclude, somewhat sadly, that there is no evidence to support meaningful observations of the Mpemba effect"."

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Mpemba

I'd always assumed it was simply due to the unheated water containing more dissolved air and hence having its freezing point slightly lower due to the solute effect.

[The Man Who Fell To Earth]

Re: Mpemba

Known more widely as Pathological Science.

[John Smith 19]

Charged electrode reacting to an oil film you say?

Puts me in mind of an eidiphor projection TV system.

Identified a phenomenon.

Identified new features others had not studied

Developed theory of how it worked.

Tested theory..

Let's hope he can keep it up.

[The Nazz]

Ohm my god

more financial layout required.

Last thing a Scotsman living in Yorkshire needs.

[Ken Moorhouse]

...current... ...potential...

You couldn't resist that could you?

[John Smith 19]

"The boy done good."

Let us hope he channels it into something positive.

[Zmodem]

honeycombs to graphene