Beer Bubbles Really Do Sink

Galvatron writes "A group of researchers at Stanford have shown that, despite being lighter than the beer itself, bubbles can actually slide down the sides of glasses. So, if you see it happen, it's not just that you've had too much to drink. For a description of methodology and an explanation of why it works, see the article."

Comments

Oh come on

[Spruce Moose]

This story is just asking for a frosty piss joke to be made!

Re:Oh come on

[Almond Tree]

Did anyone else read, Beer Bubbles Really Do Stink?

sliding down the glass....

[timelady]

odd, I've seen many a drunk sliding down the side of a glass...those pesky bubbles!

Re:sliding down the glass....

[laptop006]

*thinks back to LCA 2004 conference dinner* (Rusty, Linus etc. all a *little* too drunk, this would be why I have an OpenBSD shirt signed by Linus)

Yeah, sounds about right.

Re:sliding down the glass....

[Hogwash McFly]

hey, remember linus signed some pretty odd things during LCA:)

Yeah, my wife still refuses to wash her left breast....

So

[riotstarter]

when you're high, can dogs really fly or is it just the weed?

Re:So

[Anonymous Coward]

Everything can fly, its the landing that's difficult.

Re:So

[Sqwubbsy]

Actually, the dog remains stationary, it's the rest of the planet that moves...

Re:So

[Moderation abuser]

No, they really can fly. Try it next time you're high, smuggle a dog up to the roof of your building and throw it off. It'll fly, you'll see.

Re:So

[Hobbex]

If dogs are flying, then that is not weed you are smoking... Tread carefully, but enjoy.

Re:So

[jcenters]

Sure dogs can fly. It's rather easy. All they have to do is fall and miss the ground!

Re:So

[sydb]

Welcome, but please note in future that the term 'first post' is reserved for the first post to a story, not an individual user's first post.

As for me, this is my 997th post. Three more posts and I kill myself.

Too much?

[Calren]

So, if you see it happen, it's not just that you've had too much to drink.

So do bubbles going around the glass mean I'm half-way there?

Re:Too much?

[SmackCrackandPot]

But are you North or South of the equator? That determines whether they go round clockwise or anti-clockwise.

Nice article - but whatabout sharing the evidence?

[Jabes]

I have seen bubbles moving down at the edges of my Guinness. This latest "discovery" seems to be common sense to me, and is exactly how I have explained the phenomenem to other drinkers down the pub.

Shame I wasn't paid to do my "research", and that no-one would have listened to me because I didn't have a 750-frame-per-second video camera.

Now, this story would have been really interesting if it had a link to the videos of it happening 'cause it really is a sight to behold!

In Australia they also rise

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course it depends which way your head is up, or down - sometimes they go sideways in both directions.

Beer

[radiochild]

Not being a beer drinker I am not surprised, the bubbles are probably trying to drown themselves rather than taste that foul brew...

In other news..

[plams]

..women at the bar can really like you! If one of them is turned on by your presence it's not just that you've had too much to drink!

Re:In other news..

[mccalli]

If one of them is turned on by your presence it's not just that you've had too much to drink!

No. It's just that they've had too much to drink...

Cheers,
Ian

Legitimate scientific value

[TobiasSodergren]

"While the pair's finding will be invaluable to barroom betters across the globe it also has legitimate scientific value in the area of fluidized beds, the mixing of solid particles with liquids and gases, which has industrial and engineering applications."

It's amazing what people do come up with to get an excuse for drinking beer.

Re:Legitimate scientific value

[betelgeuse-4]

Since this phenomenom only lasts for a short period after the beer is poured, they must have had to pour a lot of beers to allow detailed analysis. It would have been a shame to let it go to waste wouldn't it?

Next we'll see an academic doing a research paper on the marketing techniques used by pr0n sites.

Re:Legitimate scientific value

[TobiasSodergren]

I'd be really impressed if they manage raise money from investors for the research.

It might ofcoruse help to introduce the investors to the results of the beer discovery, empirically and with enough samples to be on the statistical safe side, before signing the contracts.

Where's the video?

[Tweaker_Phreaker]

"So Andy got hold of a camera that takes 750 frames a second and recorded some rather gorgeous video clips of what was happening."

So quit hoggin' it and let us have some of that sweet sweet goodness.

Alcohol increases intelligence

[Anonymous Coward]

For any newbies: Apparantly your intelligence is increased by drinking alcohol, since it kills off your poor quality brain cells leaving more room for your high-powered brain cells.

So kids, if you want to pass your exams, sneak into Daddy's Spirits cabinet and have a swig before breakfast.

Re: Wasted Tax Payers Dollars

[bj8rn]

Well, the fact that beer bubbles sink was actually already known thousand of years ago. But it has to be "re-discovered" in every two years or so, otherwise the world would come to an end. And reporting this "discovery" in media is just a part of the ritual.

I knew it

[Anonymous Coward]

I knew I wasn't drunk!... nobody believed me! damn!

Neat.

[Ash87]

Now I have a new chat up line to use: hey babe, ever stop and think about bubbles moving down? Hello? You didn't finish your drink!

that was useless

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah maaaaan, crap!
that sucks!

Turns out I've stopped drinking for no reason after all...

got time to catch up with now.
bid day ahead...

Hmm...

[natrius]

I had a class with this professor earlier this year. This really explains his teaching style... he must have done his beer "research" each day right before he lectured...

Never talk about beer on a Sunday!

[mgt]

Ouch, how smart is it to have an article about beer on a Sunday! ;)

Damn

[lars_boegild_thomsen]

Damn - I wish I had never seen this article. I've always used that observation as a definite measure when to stop drinking beer. Now I won't know when to stop. I'm sure this article has been sponsored by the breweries.

Re:Damn

[lars_boegild_thomsen]

But while we're at it. Someone should investigate why - some beers are bad - even within the same brand. I mean - you drink 9 and they are perfectly ok - and then all of a sudden no. 10 makes you sick. One would think in these hightech times they would have better quality control.

Re:Damn

[RadioTV]

Here is the advice I follow about when to stop -

"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

Gravitational perpetuum mobile

[Archangle]

Just examine the effect and move it to macro scale, i.e. you drag lighter-than-air baloons down, pick them and release them up in normal conditions, creating energy (i.e. lifting small amounts of water up and releasing it onto a turbine). Free Energy! Of course there ain't no free lunch, but in this case it comes at cost of earth's rotation momentum, after several megawatts of energy produced our day will be some fraction of second longer.

Re:Gravitational perpetuum mobile

[and by]

I can only assume that you have been out trying to reproduce the experiment in the article.

Sex education

[Gax]

"It's based on the idea of what goes up has to come down. In this case, the bubbles go up more easily in the center...than on the sides because of drag from the walls."

Is it just me, or is anyone else reminded of their sex education lessons?

I have no idea why they called it a "bubble" though.

My solution

[Mantorp]

quickly turn the glass upside down over your mouth

unbelievable

[zaba]

Without further independent research that confirms this data, I won't believe it... As my contribution to mankind, I will be donating my time to this endeavor this afternoon, right after work... anyone else care to volunteer?