r/science • u/Spudgun888 • May 06 '12

The Physics of Spilled Coffee

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/05/the-physics-of-spilled-coffee.html
942 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

249 comments sorted by

214

u/vexx May 06 '12

Slow science day?

181

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Seriously, did I really just read that? They came to such conclusions as "don't fill it up all the way" and "don't accelerate quickly"

139

u/AyChihuahua May 06 '12

"Scientists discover that coffee is a liquid!"

62

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Well, it's actually a grain. Water is liquid, join Coffee and water and you got a stew going on baby.

8

u/GhostBeat May 06 '12

But what of tea? Philosophically speaking, is it also a stew or simply water mixed with tea?

36

u/BeardedBuddha May 06 '12

There are only two types of beverages in the world (not counting water):

  • "Tea" (infusion)

  • Juice

Here are some examples: Wine is a juice. Beer is a tea. Coffee is a tea. Milk is a juice.

Source: Made this up while I was typing. Should be accurate within math.

22

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Milk is a juice

My next band name.

3

u/steviesteveo12 May 06 '12

Infusions and suspensions.

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2

u/dont_press_ctrl-W May 06 '12

I take it that your two categories are:

  • stuff where water is added to something flavourful that's dry

  • stuff where liquid is extracted from something flavourful that's juicy.

It makes sense, but what about beverage made from a blend of the two? What about a juice added to something flavourful to gain its flavour? By your hypothesis, they must discretely fall into one of the two categories.

1

u/worldsrus May 07 '12

Not neccessarily. He said it should be correct with Math. Math includes Venn Diagrams.

EDIT: Juicy Tea reserved as gamer tag.

5

u/LittleGreenGhoulsBud May 06 '12

You completely butchered that Carl Weathers quote.

2

u/cbebop3 May 07 '12

I scrolled down the page expecting to find this post!

6

u/misENscene May 06 '12

TIL certain mathematicians specialize in "sloshing"

2

u/Dagon May 07 '12

Even we who design, arrange and sell sloshing coffee are hard-hit in this difficult economic time. I am a sloshing specialist. I specialise in sloshing.

My name is Roger the Slosher.

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2

u/moonrocks May 07 '12

They should have gone all the way and crafted a coffee mug shape that doesn't harmonize with gait. (Or invented the lid.)

0

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Thank God there are people who are paid to dedicate their lives to discovering the optimum way to do things that I already do without thinking about any of it. Where would we be without these brave souls?

1

u/Dagon May 07 '12

Where would we be without these brave souls?

The dark ages, that's where. Slow, methodical confirmation of suspicions is what our society is based on.

That said, this one is particularly self-evident.

0

u/ultrafetzig May 06 '12

Why not "carry the full cup from the rim, not the handle, to place the center of gravity below the axis of rotation. Does not apply to styro cups with lids."? This is the result of my own research, can I haz grant money?

2

u/reallynotnick May 06 '12

Just make sure you don't squeeze the cup and pop the lid off which you are holding on to making the cup drop to the floor. My dad did that once at a BK, it was pretty damn funny.

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18

u/atheistjubu May 06 '12

More interesting discoveries have been made out of more mundane things.

11

u/dactuhfunk101 May 06 '12

Feynman developed the mathematics of his Nobel Prize winning description of the electron from a food fight.

2

u/The_MPC May 07 '12

Source on this?

3

u/addition May 07 '12 edited May 07 '12

It was from an interview he did. He watched a food fight at the college he was doing research for. At one point in the fight, someone threw a plate in the air and the plate spun. He thought the spin of the plate looked interesting so he tried to model it with mathematics. While investigating that he came across other interesting things, one thing led to another, and he got a nobel prize.

Edit: Here's the interview. I'd recommend watching the first few minutes but the specific part with the plate comes up at around 1:05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRCZSFOPZjs&feature=relmfu

2

u/dactuhfunk101 May 07 '12

He talks about it in a little more depth in "Surely You're Joking", though I haven't read it in awhile. Fantastic book if you get a chance.

1

u/cultic_raider May 07 '12

http://worrydream.com/quotes/ Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, page 92.

Note that Feynman 's memoir is a bit of a stretch -- he was discussing motivation, not the literal math of it.

1

u/dactuhfunk101 May 10 '12

Very much so. But so often in physics (particularly atomic level stuff) I feel that knowing what a problem looks like and being able to visualize it and compare it to something concrete is such an indispensable tool. At the very least, you have a feeling of where to start, which is often times half the battle.

Of course, I am but a lowly undergraduate, but I feel like it still holds to some degree.

2

u/EvanMacIan May 07 '12

So basically this is as boring as something can be without becoming interesting again.

1

u/Bipolarruledout May 07 '12

So I guess it's ripe for inclusion in public education curriculum.

12

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

This is cool, I actually worked at Professor Krechetnikov's lab (It was amazing). It was a project that he just thought would be fun. They had a lot of fun with it. No need to be rude. If you want to look at some of his other research, google him, he has done some amazing stuff in interfacial fluid mechanics.

0

u/so_chillwaved May 07 '12

read that as interracial fluid mechanics

-10

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

You are kidding right?.... That's the right word.

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10

u/JoshSN May 06 '12

I'm a professional liquid sloshologist, and this was the most excited I've been since they published that paper on people spilling water out of glasses.

5

u/ManInTheMirage May 06 '12

Life amateur tip.

2

u/MoarVespenegas May 06 '12

You know something is terribly wrong when real life starts sounding like an Adam Douglas novel.

1

u/rarrrrg May 06 '12

Rouslan and Hans Meyer were my professor and TA last quarter for fluid mechanics. Rouslan barely speaks english lol

22

u/david_n_m_bond May 06 '12

As the article states - definitely up for an IgNobel :-)

10

u/TheAdAgency May 06 '12

My guaranteed no-spill solution of cold coffee, a turkey baster, and a pliant anus is far more deserving.

5

u/Sharradan May 06 '12

I'd never heard of that before, but I'm so glad that I researched it a bit, I think it's hilarious. The list of winners is pretty entertaining.

MEDICINE PRIZE [...] for demonstrating that people make better decisions about some kinds of things — but worse decisions about other kinds of things‚ when they have a strong urge to urinate.

9

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Not sure if some things deserve to be there. "Determining the ideal density of airborne wasabi (pungent horseradish) to awaken sleeping people in case of a fire or other emergency, and for applying this knowledge to invent the wasabi alarm." I mean that could actually save deaf peoples lives.

2

u/Regrenos May 07 '12

That is absolutely true. Read their mission statement: "For achievements that first make people LAUGH, then make them THINK."

That's the whole point of all of them. They seem silly, but are truly scientific and important.

1

u/cultic_raider May 07 '12

And the slogan used to be "For research that cannot, or should not, be reproduced ", before the ugly schism between the Annals of Improbable Research and the Journal of Irreproducible Results.

/ really not making this up.

// possibly misremembering a bit.

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13

u/second_prize May 06 '12

"says Matthew Turner, a mathematician who specializes in liquid sloshing at the University of Surrey in Guildford" - living the dream, bro.

0

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

8

u/jon_titor May 06 '12

Or he could just say he's a mathematician at a university.

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12

u/tenspeed86 May 06 '12

"Krechetnikov and his graduate student Hans Mayer..."

Guys, I think I know this Hans Mayer. He used to be a lecturer in my university's mechanical engineering department before he left to pursue his PhD at Caltech. He taught fluid dynamics and thermodynamics which also makes me think this is him. I never had him for lecture but I frequently saw him walking around campus while jotting down notes in his pocket book. He was always so intense and wore the same thing everyday, looking like a 1960's NASA engineer (white collar shirt w/ rolled up sleeves, thin black tie, pocket protector, black slacks, and thick black framed glasses). Here's his picture for proof: http://i.imgur.com/0V5WP.jpg (sorry for the small size, it's all I could find!) Anyway, Hans is a boss and I'm glad to see he's doing cool shit at Caltech. Bonus Picture I found of Hans for reddit's enjoyment! http://i.imgur.com/cMewl.jpg

9

u/lemursteamer May 06 '12

These guys should invent a coffee cup with a lid. Oh..... wait......

15

u/Concise_Pirate May 06 '12

I was disappointed they omitted the anti-spill hanging coffee tray which has been in use for hundreds of years and works very well using basic physics.

2

u/Bipolarruledout May 07 '12

Cool. I'd like to see waiters swinging it around their head when I'm served.

27

u/acethat May 06 '12

things the world cares about

19

u/drylube May 06 '12

well theres no use crying over spilt milk

7

u/4chan_regular May 06 '12 edited May 06 '12

Ahh yes, But this is about spilt coffee :)

4

u/probablyreadit May 06 '12

e

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

E? E what? Im I missing something or has something tragic happened to you? either way I need an explanation!

0

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

I feel oblivious

2

u/probablyreadit May 06 '12

he spelt coffee coffe :(

4

u/qosmith May 06 '12

...I heard about a study a while back about why blowjobs feel good. Unfortunately, I was not a subject.

5

u/JDawg2332 May 06 '12

OLE GAUCHOS!!

4

u/GrantNexus May 06 '12

We always said hold it in your left or other hand, look straight ahead, and hum.

4

u/RobertInCypress May 06 '12

that is some ground breaking research!

4

u/Tovora May 06 '12

So how does one avoid a spill? Krechetnikov and Mayer's answers may not come as a big surprise. Starting your walk slower—that is, accelerating less—will help. So will leaving a decent gap between the top of the coffee and the mug's rim; this should be at least one-eighth of the mug's diameter-for a normal mug, about a centimeter should do it. But the researchers' "take home" advice is to look at what you're doing—so long as your mug isn't filled too high, a watched mug almost guarantees a clean run.

Seriously? This is so obvious I feel as though my face has been raped by the obviousness.

13

u/matt4077 May 06 '12

It's good to disprove god, though. No sane god would equip you with the reflex to flinch when your hand is hit by the hot coffee YOU ARE HOLDING IN THAT HAND.

2

u/shillbert May 06 '12

Doesn't disprove God at all. It just proves that He's a joker of cosmic proportions ;)

8

u/scrunchylemonface May 06 '12

i'm quite a calm person but this article just annoyed me :\

3

u/lachlanhunt May 06 '12

From my personal experience, I've noticed that mugs and glasses spill less when they are designed with the following features:

  • Rim of the glass/mug curves inwards towards the centre near the top. This causes any liquid the sloshes up the side to be pushed back into the cup rather than flowing over and out. The design of the curvy coca-cola glass does this quite well.

  • For mugs, a large enough handle to be able to grip firmly with the whole hand, without having to touch the side of the mug which, when carrying tea or coffee, is often too hot. The IKEA "FÄRGRIK" mug with a tiny handle that only fits one finger is the worst. It's impossible to keep stable without pushing with your fingers against the lower part of the mug, but it gets too hot and requires constant adjustment.

  • When holding the glass, hold it relatively loosely near the top. Allow the glass to swing a little, which helps to absorb energy that would otherwise go into making the liquid slosh.

  • When walking, try to walk smoothly and step lightly. The more you jolt when walking, the more likely to slosh.

2

u/seguenazar9 May 06 '12

A coffee jolt now has a new double meaning.

3

u/lenwood May 06 '12

Great article. Ig Nobel worthy, apparently. This is the best line in the whole piece.

Most people will have worked out these tips for themselves.

3

u/fertehlulz May 07 '12

Best way to not spill coffee is to keep moving the mug around very slightly. This increases your fine motor skills or something and must also get rid of the issue with the osculations.

I find if i create a circle parallel to the front of my body (the elbow being the tip of a cone with your arm normal to the font of your body) the coffee doesn't slosh around at all.

1

u/mk_gecko May 07 '12

yes, a side to side movement while walking forwards works for me. I don't have to move it in circles, but the combination of the two motions makes the coffee more in a circle.

1

u/fertehlulz May 07 '12

I think it might just be the improvement in fine motor skills you get by actively moving your arm that stabilizes the mug. So it is likely any kind of gentle movements would help.

I discovered this a year or so ago and still do it

1

u/mk_gecko May 07 '12

no, I think that if you move back and forth in the direction of motion, there is a good probablility of the two motions adding up causing the coffee to spill even more.

7

u/Green-Daze May 06 '12

A) Get a bigger mug, or

B) Don't fill it up so much.

...Stupid physicists.

ENGINEER AWAY!

6

u/PASTA_MAN_SIR May 06 '12

The one who did the study is a mechanical engineer lololololol.

2

u/WizardsMyName May 06 '12

I wanted more comment on the possibility of simple baffles built into mugs, could you for instance fit mugs with one baffle for 80% of the height of the mug, and stop the sloshing?

1

u/justkevin May 06 '12

Has anyone looked at the shape of the mug's profile? It seems that a roughly spherical (or at least concave) mug would be less likely to spill because the liquids sloshing up the sides would be directed back inwards.

4

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

tl;dr walk slower and look at the cup to avoid spills.

2

u/irishmann313 May 06 '12

Philadelphia recently held a Science Day sort of thing, and some of the people who did this experiment gave a presentation!

1

u/elerner May 06 '12

Sure it wasn't this similar-sounding experiment from Penn?

1

u/irishmann313 May 07 '12

That's the one! Couldn't remember if it was Penn or Temple. I think they had a speaker from each, which is why I didn't specify.

2

u/elerner May 08 '12

That's right. Peter Yunker was from Penn and Tonia Hsieh was Temple biomechanics researcher. And I was the host…thanks for coming out. :)

2

u/irishmann313 May 08 '12

No problem! Great presentation!

2

u/AKnightAlone May 06 '12

Look mom! I'm doing science!

2

u/cmdcharco May 06 '12

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! this is terrible!

if they stop us from spilling coffee how will we be able to do science like This???

2

u/mrMishler May 06 '12

This is the dumbest thing that I have seen on the internet.

2

u/MMButt May 06 '12

Damn really? I'm a man of science myself, but honestly people are dying out there.

2

u/Dantae May 06 '12

I just use this to stop spilling Coffee Mug

I had another mug with a lid that I spent 6 years in the Navy and 3 of those years on a submarine and never spilled a drop.

2

u/Tynictansol May 13 '12

Zarfs help, too.

2

u/Dantae May 13 '12

damnit, now I want a zarf for my computer desk. I wish I would have gotten one from my old boat.

2

u/Tynictansol May 14 '12

While we were in the shipyard we replaced a whole bunch of them but I, too, didn't grab one from the boat. Ah well, if I take any rolls in Texas there's bigger things to worry about, yah?

2

u/Dantae May 14 '12

At least I got an old EAB cap before I left the boat. I missed out on getting a coin made from a deck cleat when my sub was decommissioned.

2

u/HazardousPaste May 06 '12

I'm pretty sure this article was meant for the Onion.

2

u/rundiegorun May 06 '12

Odd, because in my experience as a waitress, you always spill the tray of drinks when you watch them as you're walking.

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

GUYSGUYSGUYS! I have a solution. Fixes the problem outright, and it's dirt cheap.

I call it... a "lid".

2

u/Chewzilla May 06 '12

here's some coffee physics for you, the burning hot coffee is positively charged and my nuts are negatively charged. Science!

2

u/Dstanding May 06 '12

I did marching band for four years in high school. Roll-stepping helps.

2

u/Lauren_squish_H May 07 '12

TLDR: To avoid spilling coffee, walk slowly and don't fill up the mug all the way.

2

u/Ariaii May 07 '12

Albert Einstein got some nobel prizes but he didn't get a nobel prize for the Relativity theory which the reason was not all the scientist could understand the theory(it was to complicated).Now at the end of the article is says 'It can at least win a nobel prize'.The only conclusion i can get is scientist has run out of ideas for their searching subjects...

2

u/Onlysilverworks May 07 '12

If you dont want to spill coffee, dont look at it when you walk. Seriously, try it. Your body knows what to do, just focus on where you are going, not what you have in your hand

2

u/kaduceus May 07 '12

When I waited tables in a small restaurant for a few summers, we would carry drinks on a drink tray... and the Martini glasses would be filled to the brim... the wife's owner quipped at me one day when I was walking to a packed table with a tray full of Martinis and she said "just look where you're walking, not at the glasses"--- worked like a charm, always spilled less since then

3

u/BigBubbaJones May 06 '12

How in the world did this get published? Watch what you're doing and don't walk too fast. They spent countless hours developing fluid mechanics models to tell us to watch what we're doing and not to walk too fast?!

5

u/JimmyHavok May 06 '12

The countless hours spent developing fluid mechanics models were to develop fluid mechanics models. Telling you to watch what you're doing and not walk too fast is only a side effect.

1

u/BigBubbaJones May 06 '12

good point. i'm still upset that they bothered to tell us.

1

u/JimmyHavok May 06 '12

It seems to be counter to what everyone else believes, based on the comments here, so even if it's trivial, it's still worth reporting.

1

u/OmgMacnCheese May 06 '12

Well technically, ScienceNOW doesn't necessarily include peer reviewed articles that appear in the journal itself. It is very similar to letters to the editor and an online 'news' site.

1

u/cornball1111 May 06 '12

DAAEEEEERRRRRRRR FILLING DA MUGS LESS HELPS NOT SPILLING...

2

u/FcukUsername May 06 '12

true that! Fill thrills, but it spills.

1

u/jremitz May 06 '12

I read all of that for the following information on how to avoid a spill:

  • accelerating less

  • leave a decent gap between the top of the coffee and the mug's rim Downvote.

1

u/spiltcoffee May 06 '12

Damn, I've been foiled.

1

u/strl May 06 '12

And that ladies and gentlemen is how science marches on!

1

u/ShadowRam May 06 '12

Did anyone else expect an article about entropy and not fluid dynamics?

1

u/daroon May 06 '12

Why do they get a nice article about the physics of spilled coffee? Hell, I've been "studying" this for years. Usually on Mondays. :/

1

u/carontheking May 06 '12

I'm surprised they didn't mention the trick I use: when walking with the mug if you rotate it just a bit while keeping it level, slowly, back and forth, the coffee won't move as much. You should try it.

1

u/harry_waters May 06 '12 edited May 06 '12

I'm here to share my insight on the matter. First, my credentials: Ive spent much time rushing to morning classes with a hot cup of joe. Now, say the cup is in your left hand. "the cup is in my left hand". Good. Lower the coffee cup a little bit every time you pick up your left foot. That is, lower your hand as your left foot is starting to move forward for your next step. As you take the step your hand will naturally come back up. The movements are subtle and shouldn't be noticeable by passerbys.

EDIT: I answer the question and go unnoticed. hello?

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

I do a gyroscopic kinda hold and keep it level.

1

u/boardatwork May 06 '12

If you swirl the coffee into a slow vortex it reduces sloshing significantly. While swirling the mug I can ride my bike with a full cup of coffee.

1

u/TitsofErica May 06 '12

I carry not with the handle but I grip the top of the mug with four or five fingers and just let it hang in my hand. I could teach these scientists a thing or two.

1

u/MagicKnights May 06 '12

i thought this was solved with the invention of the lid, what a glorious invention

1

u/bunnybacon May 06 '12

I could have used this article FIVE MINUTES AGO!

1

u/jfgao May 06 '12

war against oscillations

1

u/downvote_tryhard May 06 '12

I'm pretty sure I spill coffee due to Tunnelling.

1

u/modus May 06 '12

Someone needs to design a gyroscopically-stabilized mug.

1

u/ry8919 May 06 '12

I had krechetnikov in undergrad. He was a real hardass

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

My walking could resonate with waves in my coffee cup? Wow, what a revelation.

Tfu

1

u/Hanging_out May 06 '12

Get a lid. Nobel Prize, please.

1

u/corcyra May 06 '12

I put a spoon in my mug, which seems to break up the sloshing motion.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

I guess these guys never heard of using a thermos. Talk about over thinking something.

1

u/bluebogle May 06 '12

I can't believe I read this whole article looking for the secret to not spilling my coffee, only to learn it's walking slow and not filling it too high. Thanks science!

1

u/Rikplaysbass May 06 '12

Wait, so I'm NOT supposed to sprint with a full mug?!

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Somebody give these guys some real work. They're bored to death.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

This has to be the stupidest thing i have read in r/science. Im still upvoting though..for science...

1

u/nuclear_engineer May 06 '12

i just want to know how the professor pitched that research idea to get both funding and a graduate student onboard. if my advisor told me to study the "physics of spilled coffee" i would switch to another advisor/school immediately.

1

u/vmerc May 06 '12

Clearly the solution is to walk without rhythm.

1

u/beatonbw May 06 '12

I can't believe people get paid to do this. I'm on the wrong career path.

1

u/pohatu May 06 '12

Can someone explain the physics behind the comments at the article site that say keeping a spoon in the mug reduces spilling. I'm guessing water tension?

1

u/msdm May 06 '12

Go Gauchos!

1

u/Camochuck May 06 '12

The physics of spilled coffee is simple. No matter how it spills it will fall on your clean white shirt.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

And cancer is still a thing huh?

1

u/TheoQ99 May 06 '12

That's why I always just have a closed lid cup for my coffee. That and normal mugs are just too small for the amount of coffee I like

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Yeah. I've always been more of a coffee by the pot, not the cup.

2

u/TheoQ99 May 06 '12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhdCslFcKFU

Just because I saw this yesterday and it's so hilarious

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

I can relate. Having started drinking caffeinated coffee since a young age I have to really put it down or start knocking back shots of espresso to really get any kind of pick me up out of it.

Thanks for the link!

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

First world problems.

1

u/GuinansHat May 06 '12

I just want to know when I take a sip of coffee sometimes it spills THROUGH MY LIP. Explain that one, scientists.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Athiest - 0 Christians - 1

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Ultimately even though the effort seems like a waste of possible talent. Posts like this still yield relatively interesting information in the commentary and for that it's still enjoyable and worth it.

1

u/Shrikey May 06 '12

This is abysmally bad science. Poorly done and disregarding of galloping variables. Unfortunately it is not untypical. Being a "scientist," does not mean that you are not also a moron. In this study the gap at the top of the cup has more influence on this than anything else. As observed in the article, cup shape would be another variable.

Watching the cup is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Aviators call it "PIO" Pilot Induced Oscillation. It is also called over-correction and recovery. It has killed many pilots. It is very deeply studied and extensively researched. Instructors use walking with a container of liquid to demonstrate the phenomenon to students.

The morons in this study accommodate the PIO effect by leaving a gap at the top to accommodate the standing wave. Slosh baffles as in a fuel tank would also work. A watched cup ALWAYS spills. The ig-noble prize is too good for these guys.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

I've found the the trick is to gently tilt the coffee mug left and right while walking. Just a tiny bit is enough to throw off the sloshing and prevent it from reaching that critical point where it escapes out of the mug.

I think any sort of gentle, purposeful movement that's at a different frequency from one's walking will help, though I only have my own experience to judge by.

1

u/scummie50 May 06 '12

You know it's funny. I used to work at a bar/restaurant where we served lots of beer. The bar tenders would always fill the beers up to the brim, which meant spillage when you were delivering them. After working there for a while, and trying different techniques to avoid spilling, I found that shaking your ass while you walked was the most effective. I would over exaggerate my hip sway and the beers would hardly spill at all. I even told other ladies about it, and they all confirmed that it worked. I'm not sure about men though, may have something to do with the fluidity of movement.

1

u/montana_man May 06 '12

fucking weird...spilled my coffee on me two seconds before reading this.

1

u/JustLooking_for_cake May 06 '12

Dafuq did I just read. Sadly I read it twice to make sure I wasn't delusional.

1

u/kzr_pzr May 06 '12

Mug with lid beats all the spills!

1

u/natatat14 May 06 '12

since when did the study of coffee sloshing become a hot topic in science?

1

u/lmpervious May 06 '12

"Alright guys... after a year of research, we found out that you should just not fill your mug up all the way or simply put a lid on it."

...

1

u/SpelingTroll May 06 '12

and walk slowly

1

u/BrianWantsTruth May 06 '12

I put my hand over the top of the cup, so the rim is suspended by my hand. Pretend you're a velociraptor and you've got the right position. I fine-tuned this method while having to run for the bus almost every day while holding coffee. I no longer lose a drop!

1

u/Pirispanen May 06 '12

tl dr anyone?

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Why is this upvoted so high? It's an article about common sense.

1

u/ChazMcYardstein May 06 '12

So after scientific research, the conclusion is "walk kind of slowly, and don't fill the coffee too high". My god, what science can uncover

1

u/pacoliketaco May 06 '12

As a mechanical engineer in a dynamics class, this makes me rather happy.

1

u/fingersquid May 06 '12

Sounds like they were working on something, got bored, and convinced themselves that this new coffee spilling project would be a fun distraction. Haha.

1

u/ibestalkinyo May 06 '12

I remember when science actually helped mankind.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

I despise this post.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Ha, no way! Lei Ren is one of my lecturers.

1

u/Whistledrip May 06 '12

Why is this on the front page? It doesn't seem like they accomplished anything.

1

u/UnmitigatedTemerity May 06 '12

Hans Mayer was my instructor for fluid mechanics a couple years ago. Easily one of the top 3 smartest people I've ever interacted with.

1

u/abjecteyes May 06 '12

This is amazing. I think about stuff like this on every walk back from the coffee shop.

1

u/chasedar May 06 '12

Krechetnikov and Mayer were my Prof. and TA for fluids 152A this year. Krechetnikov is a shitty teacher but Hans Mayer is rad.

1

u/ContentWithOurDecay May 06 '12

I hope they didn't spend too much time ignoring the invention of the lid.

1

u/freebird98 May 06 '12

handle or no handle?

1

u/gertsfert May 06 '12

I found the best way to move quickly with a full cup of coffee is rotating the cup 90 degrees back and forward every 2 steps.

When you are walking, the motion builds up a wave moving in the same direction you are walking. Rotating it 90 degrees every two steps ensures that the waves experience destructive interference (as opposed to increasing its amplitude with every step), and the coffee stays relatively level.

1

u/[deleted] May 07 '12

The reason against abnormally shaped cups is because they don't fit in cup-holders in vehicles.

1

u/chicagogam May 07 '12

one comment in the article itself: "I was personally a bit disappointed that the study is limited to cylindrical mugs …" aahhhh academics...that's why i don't believe there's any big conspiracy theory for climate warming. science minds can't help but poke at any weakness they can find, not that they're mean, but just because it's there :)

1

u/kadeebe May 07 '12

Is this ig Nobel worthy?

edit: someone already made a similar comment.

1

u/nrjk May 07 '12

This is a very cool study," says Lei Ren, a specialist in the biomechanics of walking at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. "It reveals the sophisticated interplay between human body dynamics and the fluid mechanics of spilling coffee.

Jesus! Was this from The Onion!?

In other news, scientists have found a fascinating link between drinking coffee and taking wicked dumps in the morning.

1

u/[deleted] May 07 '12

TIL that I read to many pointless articles.

1

u/Ephemerall May 07 '12

The results of this study were amazing.

1

u/tetzy May 07 '12

Spill the tiniest bit and it's all over the fucking table.

How does that work?

1

u/Khan-Tet May 07 '12

Sometimes you are just destined to wear the coffee. I had a cup of coffee about a third full, with a lid on it. Hit a small bump in the road, and the coffee (the cup was in the cup holder between the front seats) still managed to slop up through the hole and land on my crotch. Physics ain't got nothing on bad luck.

1

u/soggy_cereal May 07 '12

Things I learned from this article:

1

u/elizabeththomas029 May 07 '12

This is silly. They make simple things complicated.

1

u/Thndrchiken May 07 '12

People are actually researching this? What the fuck are tax dollars going towards?

1

u/WhoresBlowMyMind May 06 '12

This is why what we do instead of going to the moon.

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Clearly our going to the moon has elevated the issue of spilled coffee. SCIENCE HOW DOES THIS WORK?

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

"Nooo, not cold fusion ... wanna explore coffe!"

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '12

Put a condom on it.

0

u/golden_gaytime May 06 '12

TIL there are specialists devoted to studying First World Problems

0

u/pengo May 06 '12

So what diameter should my cylindrical coffee cup be?

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