Physics experts have discovered a new universal rule explaining how solids break and shatter. Emmanuel Villermaux’s equation shows that any solid, from glass to rocks to cookies, follows the same physical processes of fragmentation. The law predicts that cracks will branch out and merge to create large sections that splinter apart. This breakthrough represents the first general statistical foundation for random shattering and could help scientists understand how different physical processes influence fragment-size distributions in various fields.
The discovery builds on previous work by focusing not on the cracks themselves, but on the outcomes of shattering events. Villermaux listed possible ways things can break in terms of entropy, or a measure of chaos. He applied his equation to a range of real-life objects, including plates, shells, spaghetti, and even liquid droplets and bubbles. The results show that the equation works well for truly random fragmentation but may not apply as well to softer materials like some plastics.
This new rule is significant because it provides a sweeping principle that could help scientists determine how different physical processes influence fragment-size distributions in various fields, from industrial to geophysical to astrophysical settings.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/that-plate-you-just-dropped-followed-a-weirdly-predictable-rule-youve-never-heard-of-2000693978