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ERIC Number: EJ887948
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-May
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Einstein's Tea Leaves and Pressure Systems in the Atmosphere
Tandon, Amit; Marshall, John
Physics Teacher, v48 n5 p292-295 May 2010
Tea leaves gather in the center of the cup when the tea is stirred. In 1926 Einstein explained the phenomenon in terms of a secondary, rim-to-center circulation caused by the fluid rubbing against the bottom of the cup. This explanation can be connected to air movement in atmospheric pressure systems to explore, for example, why low-pressure systems tend to be stormy and high-pressure systems are fair weather. Here, following Einstein's lead, we revisit the tea leaf phenomenon, make the connection with atmospheric pressure systems, and describe an illustrative laboratory experiment.
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A