Apparatus

Materials:

50 mL burette
500 mL clear graduated cylinder
Petroleum ether, analytical reagent purity
Tap water
Food coloring
Whole milk

Slide projector (backlighting)
2 frosted sheets of plastic (backlighting)
Studio light (side lighting)

High-speed motion camera
          (MotionScope 8000s)1
Digital camera (Sony DRV-900)
T.V. display screen

 

Pertinent Distances:

Motionscope to graduated cylinder (close-up): 3 ft.     
Motionscope to graduated cylinder (farther off): 5 ft.     
Burette tip to petroleum ether:  6 in.     
Column of ether (unless otherwise specified):  6 in.     
Apparatus to plastic sheets to projector:  as close as
          possible       
Apparatus to studio light (side lighting): 3 ft.     

*The apparatus consists of the burette ring stand, and
          cylinder containing the fluids

 

Equipment Set-Up:

The apparatus is set up in a way that the burette drops liquid (milk, food colored tap water, or petroleum ether) directly into the center of another liquid within the cylinder.  The Motionscope was placed either 3ft. or 5ft. away from the apparatus depending on whether detail or an overall view of the phenomenon was being observed.  The lighting was set up in one of two ways.  Side lighting was used during the first photo-shoot.  A studio light was placed about 3ft. away from the apparatus at a 30-degree angle to the line made by the apparatus and the Motionscope.  For subsequent shoots, the method of backlighting was used.  In the backlighting technique, two sheets of opaque plastic were sandwiched directly between the apparatus and a slide projector to soften the light and to create a uniform glowing surface for better contrast when filming the splash.

1 Loaned by Motion Capture Technologies  (http://www.mctcameras.com/).