THE ROTATING FLUIDS RESEARCH AND TEACHING LABORATORY
The GFD lab houses multiple rotating tables. In it we probe atmospheric, oceanic and climate phenomena, comparing theoretical and model behaviors with reality.
Website:
http://paoc.mit.edu/cmi/applications/fluidlab.htm
The GFD laboratory is a tool for learning about and experimenting with rotating fluids in a direct way. It contains one fixed rotating table and multiple mobile rotating tables. Each table is equipped with cameras and other sensors that can monitor rotating fluid experiments in real time in the rotating frame of reference. The fixed table is fitted with high-resolution computer feeds that can pass measurements to an attached assimilation system in real time. This can be used to create three-dimensional reconstructions of experiments as they proceed. The mobile tables are used in undergraduate and graduate classes in rotating fluids that have been developed by John Marshall, Glenn Flierl and Lodovica Illari in PAOC.
The laboratory is located in room 1527 of building 54. It is a great place to mess around with water and learn about the effects of rotation.