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Study Reveals Liquid Drainage Times Using Fluid Mechanics

3/21/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Brown University scientists used Navier-Stokes equations to model drainage times for common liquids.
Milk drains 90% in about 30 seconds.
Olive oil requires over nine minutes to drain 90%.
Residual water collects at the bottom of a cast-iron wok after about 15 minutes.
The study, published in Physics of Fluids, highlights practical applications of fluid mechanics in everyday scenarios.

History

Historical Context

The Navier-Stokes equations, developed between 1822 and 1850 by Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes, describe fluid motion and are crucial in engineering and meteorology. In 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute designated their existence and smoothness as a Millennium Prize Problem, highlighting the unresolved challenge of proving whether smooth solutions always exist in three dimensions, a key issue in fluid dynamics.

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Story summary

Brown University scientists used Navier-Stokes equations to model drainage times for common liquids.
Milk drains 90% in about 30 seconds.
Olive oil requires over nine minutes to drain 90%.
Residual water collects at the bottom of a cast-iron wok after about 15 minutes.
The study, published in Physics of Fluids, highlights practical applications of fluid mechanics in everyday scenarios.

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