This is a photograph of a splash that formed after a drop of water fell into a water reservoir. When a drop falls from a certain height into a container of calm water it displaces the surface water and invaginates to a certain depth, forming concentric waves. Given sufficient impact velocity, the drop then recoils and evaginates from the pool of water and creates the standing inverted water droplet seen in this photograph. The standing water drop is the result of Newton’s Third Law (action/reaction) and the cohesion tension properties of water. The initial height from which the drop is released determines the height of the subsequent recoil.

Irina Gorbounova
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School, Thornhill, Ontario
1st Prize ( High School Individual Category )