News Physics

Here’s the science behind the burbling sound of water being poured

The sound’s volume depends on the smoothness of the poured stream of water 

Three images show water being poured from a teapot. The shape of the droplets is described by an effect known as Rayleigh-Plateau instability.

A stream of water poured from a teapot forms ridges as it falls before breaking up into individual droplets. These features affect how air bubbles form in the liquid (bottom left), explaining the variation in the sound of water poured from different heights.

Ho-Young Kim et al, APS 2023

By Emily Conover

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

Ah, the refreshing sound of a cool drink of water being poured.