Nature Communications (Jun 2017)

The sands of time run faster near the end

  • Juha Koivisto,
  • Douglas J. Durian

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15551
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Hourglasses measure time because the discharge rate of dry sand is constant. Here Koivistoet al. show that when such a system contains water there is a surge in discharge because the fluid drains faster than the grains, which might help us understand the transport of grains in silos.