Fluid Rotating in a Cylinder

To see the effect of centripetal force on fluid in a cylinder see this Mathematica Demonstration of rotating fluid.

(Note that we haven’t got to rotations and angular velocities yet in the course (... but we will in a few weeks). To explore the properties of this simulation, start by setting the speed of rotation (angular velocity) of the cyclinder to zero, and then gradually increase it. Observe the effect on the liquid surface (the blue region) as you increase the speed. At a certain speed a region of the bottom of the cylinder becomes dry as the liquid is forced out towards the wall. The mathematical details are presented below the demonstration for the interested).