Living in Turbulence — Physics Might Help You
Sailing through troubled waters. Navigating through turbulent times.
For the past quarter, every since the coronavirus pulled the ground below the feet, I have seen multiple webinars with such nautical metaphors to describe the time we are going through. And how to manoeuvre through these times is a skill much sought-after. Taking the marine analogy forward, I thought why not look for the answers in physics itself.
I went back and dusted the Fluid Mechanics notes from the class I took when in college. Essentially, the flow of fluids can be of two kinds — turbulent and laminar.
The turbulent flow displays the following four characteristics:
[1] It’s Unpredictable
The very definition of turbulent flow is that it is chaotic. The trajectory of any particle can only be predicted probabilistically and it is highly dependant on where you start. The state of affairs currently are profoundly unpredictable with circumstances changing by the day and based on where you were when this pandemic hit you, you could at max figure a range of highly probable outcomes. The best you can do is find the worst of those outcomes and prepare for it.
[2] It’s Diffusive
Diffusion is the phenomenon where the layers of a fluid intermix with each other and the path of particles cross each other. Consider the following:
- Make My Trip partners with several luxury hotels and restaurants to start a food delivery business.
- UAE and UK partnership unveils scalable solution for COVID-19 detection
In laminar flow, the particles move in a straight path and we were all travelling straight ahead towards our pre-determined direction. But turbulence is a time when paths cross. People, companies, governments have to partner and collaborate to get through this.
[3] The Rotationality
This is the most interesting aspect of turbulence. When it hits, turbulence transitions the flow from travelling in a straight line to a rotational flow. This means the particles would go in a circle where the radius depends on the environment we are in and the degree of turbulence that has occurred around us.
Turbulence forces us to go back to retract, go back where we came from and keep iterating in circles till we figure what works best. This is the time to think from first principles, go back to basics and experiment till you find the best path for the future.
[4] Turbulence Dissipates
Turbulence is a high energy-consuming phenomenon. The best part about such an event is that the energy gradually gets used up as other forms and ultimately dies down. The turbulence brought about today will also gradually dissipate. Thus, the best thing to do now is to hold on tight and wait because this too shall pass.
We all love laminar flows — smooth, calm, and aesthetically pleasing. But they are possible in small, controlled environments, and produce no actual value. Hence, they are seen in cosmetic installations like fountains. On the other hand, turbulence is something that creates actual value at the end of the day. Turbulence causes planes to fly, water to produce electricity, and the stars to shine. So prepare yourself, join hands (not literally though), rethink, and hold on tight till the waters calm down.
