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Bubble Bottle Cap

Posted by Glenn Mills on Mar 02, 2010 10:19AM (5,223 views)

First, I have to apologize that I don't have a new drill this week.  We shot it, but I wasn't happy with how we were showing the skill.  Rather than putting up something sub-par, I decided not to put anything up at all.  I hope everyone understands, and we'll do a better job for next week.

However... I did take the cam to the pool last week to have some fun.  A couple of the swimmers told me they were going to show me the coolest thing ever, which I doubted.  I have to admit, after 40 some years in the pool, they showed me something I'd never seen and decided to share this with all of you.

While this is fun, if you pay attention to the time, these guys are already down when the video starts... they're swimming around, blowing bubbles, and having fun for almost a minute.  While it's no world record, you can see there is absolutely no strain on them at all, with the swimmer lying on his back in 16 ft. of water blowing bubble rings.  This is the fitness level you need to achieve to even approach your potential.  Great job guys, and thanks for showing me something new.

The equipment you need for this is a typical bottle cap from a regular drink bottle.


Tags breathing, breath control


Responses

Responded Mar 02, 2010 03:51PM

Well...then it seems quite obvious that vortices have a propulsive action.
Responded Mar 02, 2010 04:09PM

Very cool. OK, all you fluid dynamics gurus who are out there (I know you're there...), tell us what's happening here.
Responded Mar 02, 2010 04:34PM

I think this should clip send you in search of the most perfect bubble rings. I have seen video of Ryan Lochte's rings that were darn fine. Even swim celeb rings that can go on the "blooper real" of your DVDs. Without reading the posts, I was amazed by the .54 under water with ease.
Responded Mar 02, 2010 06:38PM

What is happening is that the bubble ring is a vortex, or a recirculation, propagating upwards through the water. The vortex is in this case "powered" (pushed up) by the buoyancy of the bubble inside, otherwise it would just sit there and dissipate. Because there is more area on the outside of the ring, the fluid on the outer ring edge is moving down and the fluid on the inner ring is moving up, so when you put the cap into the middle of the ring it rotates towards the outer edge. As the ring stretches out, it gets unstable and breaks up at which point the bottle cap falls out.

That is pretty cool.

Good breath control, too...
Responded Mar 02, 2010 07:38PM

Far out man!

Responded Mar 02, 2010 08:23PM

Correct Fritz, but let me add that as the initial bubble starts to rise, the drag force of the water tends to flatten it, creates a recirculation within the bubble (outer air moving downward and into the center), and adding surface tension effects destabilizes the bubble creating the ring. As the ring rises, the pressure drops (hydrostatic head), which increases the volume of air (volume inversely proportional to pressure) which results in the ring spreading. The recirculation of the water spins the cap around the ring. Note that the shape of the cap (Frisbee like) is also important. If the cap were squished into a little ball, it wouldn’t circulate (depending on its mass).

Then again, it may just be magic.

We can play tonight at practice…
Responded Mar 03, 2010 05:12AM

COOL!

Responded Mar 03, 2010 09:16AM

Good job
Responded Mar 04, 2010 05:01AM

Really the coolest thing I've seen! How did he make the bubble rings? Just blowing out air from mouth? His lungs apparently could hold a LOT of air!
Responded Mar 12, 2010 03:41PM

You wont believe what dolphins can do with bubbles
Responded Mar 12, 2010 03:57PM

Absolutely stunning. Thanks JZ... that was beautiful.
Responded Mar 12, 2010 05:56PM

Alright... there's more... check this out:

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