There are many different forms of vortexes in the physical world. Here are two common examples:
Tornado vortex. These are common atmospheric disturbance in the Midwest in North America (see, e.g., the attached image).
Seashell vortex. Seashell sometimes are vortex-shaped (see, e.g., the attached image).
I am hoping that followers of this thread can post or point to other examples of vortexes in the physical world.
Here are several more examples more examples:
Photon vortex and electromagnetic vortexes.
This interest in vortexes is related to photon vortexes and electromagnetic vortexes.
Shape Vortexes [Geometry and Algebraic Topology].
From a shape theory perspective, it seems that many physical shapes are non-concentric, nesting cycles. In homology theory, the analogue of a physical vortexes is a collection of non-concentric, nesting 1-cycles. A 1-cycle is a collection of connected edges or surfaces that form a connected path so that one can find a path between any pair of vertices in the 1-cycle.
Dear Peters,
Here are some examples
Example(1): The terrible Sandpit trap of an antlion.
See (mages for The sand trap to eat ant)
also, see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoPg705aUU.
Example(2): Whirlpool.
See:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool
Example(3): Black Holle Vortex.
Example(4): Galaxy Vortex.
Dear James,
Besides these vortex in the macroscopic world, you have others very important at the microscopic level . The Abrikosov-Nielsen vortices in the type II superconductors, the magnetic vortices in the Hall effect at high magnetic field and rotating superfluid helium can support rectilinear quantized line vortices.
Could be:
- In the flow of water in very special places (sudden change of shape, behind obstacles ....);
- In the flow of air (behind an airplane, in the combustion chambers, ...)
The most common examples of vortical structures are found in classical fluids; at the laboratory scale, we can mention
- Kelvin-Helmholtz billows
- Hexagonal vortical patterns in fluids heated at the lower boundary
- Von Karman vortex wakes
In the rotating stratified fluids in geophysical systems, we have a multitude of vortices at different scales; they include
- tropical cyclones
- Vorticity tubes associated with tornadoes
- Rotors on the lee side of the mountain ranges
- Lagrangian coherent vortical structures in the oceanic flow
The main characteristic of all these structures is that they do not keep their identity for a very long time, the main exception being perhaps the red spot of Jupiter which has preserved its integrity over the last few hundred years.
The completely new reality of vortex systems is in quantum fluids where they can last indefinitely.
On a larger scale, in space, practically all forms of matter organization come in the form of swirls with the most spectacular examples provided by rotating galaxies. It is fairly easy to conclude that the vortex movement is ubiquitous in all physical systems, from the smallest to the largest. There are even some attempts to connect the scales proposed in the framework of a Cantorian Superfluid Vortex hypothesis; these attempts are very similar, in many respects, to Lord Kelvin's old hypothesis explaining atoms as vortex structures.
For an in-depth discussion of all these fascinating topics, please see a very interesting article by Frank Wilczek entitled: "Beautiful Losers: Kelvin's Vortex Atoms". The text is available at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/physics/2011/12/beautiful-losers-kelvins-vortex-atoms/
Here are some resources that might be helpful for answering your question:
1. Vortex Methods: Theory and Applications
2. SU(3) Chern-Simons vortex theory and Toda systems
3. Theory of vortex sound
Whirl wind is a common type of vortex. It can be rising in the day time or descending at night, and might contain enough static electricity to cause sparking and fires.
Vortex is common in draining sinks and vessels. The pressure and flow is reduced by the vortex. Industry uses devices to prevent vortexes for saving energy and other efficiencies.
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