The Quanta Podcast The Mysterious Math of Turbulence
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Jun 24, 2025 In this lively discussion, Joe Howlett, a math writer for Quanta, delves into the complex world of turbulence. He explains the concept of superdiffusion and its significance in understanding fluid dynamics. With vivid anecdotes from the historic Gordon Bennett Cup balloon race, Joe illustrates the unpredictability faced by pioneers—a metaphor for the chaos in mathematics today. The conversation also touches on the elusive Navier-Stokes equations, revealing profound mathematical insights that connect to real-world applications like weather forecasting and kayaking.
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Turbulence Causes Airplane Bumps
- Turbulence causes unpredictable airflows that hit airplane wings, causing bumpy rides.
- These chaotic vortices in the atmosphere disrupt what would be smooth, continuous airflow over wings.
Navier-Stokes and Predictability Limits
- Navier-Stokes equations describe fluid motion deterministically if initial conditions were fully known.
- In reality, unpredictability arises because we never know fluid states precisely, limiting forecast accuracy.
Turbulence Spans Many Scales
- Turbulence exists across many connected scales, from huge vortices to tiny eddies.
- Understanding how these scales interact is essential to studying how turbulence scatters objects.
