Prickly Predictions

Simulating everything from air traffic to the spread of viruses, computer models strive for simplicity – to make the most accurate predictions with a minimum of mathematics. This keeps them efficient, flexible, and able to adapt as new information comes along. Here, scientists investigate the fluid dynamics of ferrofluids, solutions containing iron particles that usually slosh about but form a halo of rigid spikes when placed in a magnetic field. They make these spiky simulations of ferrofluid twanging between unseen electromagnets “simply” by simulating molecules on the liquid’s surface (without the need to consider the whole volume of fluid). They can now extend their model, perhaps to predicting how magnets of different strengths affect ferrofluids, investigating their use in nanomedicine or as new MRI scans.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video by Anastasia Serin, 2021 KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)
• Computational Sciences Group, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia
• Video copyright held by KAUST
• Published in ACM Transactions in Graphics, November 2020