• 2 months ago
Ever noticed how a tiny drop of oil can work wonders? When oil hits the water, it spreads out and forms a super thin film on the surface. This film breaks up the waves and smooths out the surface, kinda like a magical oil slick. The waves lose their oomph, and suddenly, it's like the ocean's taking a chill pill. So next time you spill a drop of oil, just remember—you might be calming down the whole ocean! #brightside

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Category

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Transcript
00:00The concept of oil on troubled waters may seem like a strange expression,
00:05but its meaning of calming a tense situation is well understood.
00:09The origins of this phrase, though, have a much more literal explanation.
00:14It's true that even the roughest waves can be subdued by simple oil.
00:19Just like you dress your salad with oil to make it nicer, you can dress the sea to make it calmer.
00:26At the end of the 19th century, captains from various ships shared their experiences
00:31of using oil to calm rough waves in letters to the New York Times.
00:35One of those captains, Olsen of the Norwegian barque Wilhelmine,
00:39detailed what he did to save his crew and ship during violent storms.
00:44Despite the challenges they faced, the oil trick proved to be a game changer,
00:49drawing up the weather side of the deck and helping them navigate through heavy gales.
00:54His words hinted at a secret power hidden within these simple bags made of sailcloth
01:00filled with a regular animal oil.
01:02He used it several times, and each time, the technique worked like a charm.
01:07One time, his crew encountered heavy gales on their voyage to Belfast.
01:12They were causing quite a stir, but they managed to stay ahead of the game
01:16by deploying these bags made of sailcloth filled with animal oil.
01:20As soon as they released the bag from the cat head, the weather side of the deck dried up in no time,
01:26even as the seas continued to wash over it.
01:29It was pretty neat to see it working its magic without even needing to check if the bag was empty,
01:34as it was a real lifesaver.
01:36Their vessel was still a little shaky and taking on water on the lee side,
01:41but this little trick really helped them out.
01:44Captain Jenkins from the British steamer Francisco used a similar method to calm the seas
01:49during their voyage from Hull, England to Boston.
01:52They ran into some strong westerly gales, causing really big waves.
01:57They didn't want to head any further north, so they decided to stop the engines and chill for a bit.
02:03They stuffed some oakum into the pipes of the closets and filled them with oil, and it worked like magic.
02:09The sea calmed down along the side of the ship.
02:12The big waves disappeared, and they stayed nice and dry.
02:18In total, 12 masters shared their success stories of using oil against rough waves,
02:23with only one reporting that it didn't work as expected.
02:27The use of storm oil, as sailors called it, was a tried and true method of preserving crew,
02:33cargo, and livestock from the harsh sea conditions.
02:36The toughest thing some of them experienced was just a little spray.
02:41Their methods were a tad different, but all of them used oil.
02:44But what made this storm oil so effective?
02:47First off, let's clarify something.
02:50Storm oil is not your average supermarket olive oil.
02:54To be truly effective, storm oil must be made of that thick, next to water-insoluble consistency.
03:00Technically, it acts like a surfactant.
03:03This practice is very old and has been used for many centuries.
03:07Since ancient times, people have poured oil to calm ocean waves.
03:11It was poured onto the ocean surface to reduce wave intensity,
03:15making it easier for sea rescuers and navigation.
03:18This spilled oil accumulates on the surface and creates a concentration gradient
03:23that leads to extra dissipation and damping as waves move.
03:27In the past, steamships and lifeboats from various countries were required to carry storm oil
03:33as this practice continued until the late 20th century.
03:37It was included in the United States Maritime Service Training Manual as essential equipment for lifeboats,
03:43and British vessels were mandated to have it until 1998.
03:47Often, vegetable oil or fish oil was used as a cost-effective option.
03:52While those options were commonly used as storm oil substitutes,
03:56the thick consistency was the key to the oil's effectiveness.
04:00Storm oil has a dampening effect on water, absorbing some energy from the waves.
04:05It quickly forms a thin layer over a large area of the water's surface,
04:09preventing wind from creating waves easily.
04:12The use of oil to calm ocean waves dates back to ancient times,
04:16with Aristotle and Pliny the Elder discussing its effects.
04:20Benjamin Franklin famously studied the calming properties of oil on waves
04:24during his trips to England.
04:26Communication between Franklin, William Brownrigg, and Sir John Pringle
04:30led to further exploration of this phenomenon.
04:33Agnes Pockels also made significant contributions to the study of storm oils
04:38through her experiments in Germany.
04:40She suggested that the calming effect of oil on water
04:43involved more than just reducing surface tension.
04:46Oil is definitely a game-changer when it comes to calming rough seas.
04:52Oil is definitely a game-changer when it comes to calming rough seas.
04:56But it's not just any oil that does the trick.
04:59You gotta use the right kind of oil and apply it the right way.
05:03Forget engine oil and other petroleum products, they won't do much.
05:07Fish oils are where it's at, especially the thick ones.
05:11The problem is, modern ships and boats don't really carry fish oils,
05:15so folks end up using engine oils and bunker oils instead.
05:19It's not surprising that they don't see the calming effects they were hoping for.
05:23Back in the day, the Coast Guard used to carry a little tank of oil
05:26for rescue missions in choppy waters.
05:28But they stopped that practice ages ago.
05:31You can't just pour the oil on the water.
05:33You gotta let it leak out gradually, drop by drop.
05:37The best way is to hang a bag of cod liver oil
05:40or something like that over the side of the boat.
05:43The oil seeps out through the bag onto the water surface
05:46and smooths out the waves.
05:48Not only does the oil calm things down,
05:51but it also stops the wind from messing with the surface.
05:54Just a bit of the right oil, like a gallon or so,
05:58can flatten out a huge area around the boat.
06:01Believe it or not, tossing oil into the sea used to be allowed.
06:05Steam ships and lifeboats were actually required
06:08to have equipment to slowly release oil during storms.
06:12The lifeboats on the Titanic fell under British law from 1894,
06:16which said they had to carry oil for bad weather.
06:19Now for the science part,
06:21as oil decreases water's surface tension,
06:24preventing those pesky waves from breaking.
06:26It's like adding an invisible layer over the water
06:29that makes it super smooth.
06:31So when you pour some oil into water,
06:34the molecules don't clump up
06:36as they spread out to form a super thin layer.
06:39These oil molecules kind of do a somersault,
06:42standing on their heads
06:44and aligning with the water molecules like magnets.
06:47This creates a film on the water's surface
06:50that is just one molecule thick.
06:52You can actually figure out the size of a single oil molecule
06:55by trying this out.
06:57For instance, one tester used a spoon
06:59that was under half an inch high,
07:01and the oil spot it spread out on the water was massive.
07:04If you do the math,
07:06you'll see that one molecule is incredibly tiny.
07:09Usually, wind creates waves by moving the surface of the water,
07:13but a layer of oil molecules acts as a barrier,
07:16stopping the wind from making waves
07:18and just pushing the oil around instead.
07:21This pretty cool trick has been used by all sorts of people
07:24throughout history for different reasons.
07:26I've already mentioned that Benjamin Franklin
07:28studied this phenomenon a lot,
07:30but he also liked to prank people by using this science.
07:33He would claim he could calm a choppy lake
07:36with just the touch of his cane.
07:38Turns out, he had a little vial of oil
07:41at the bottom of his cane that he could tap out
07:43onto the water's surface.
07:45It made him look like some sort of magician
07:47or waterbending master.
07:49By the way, the science behind this trick
07:51is still used today.
07:53By putting a thin film of oil
07:55or smaller molecules like magnesium fluoride on glass,
07:58you can create invisible glass
08:00that reduces glare and reflection.
08:03This type of glass is used in smartphones,
08:06tablets, laptops, and glasses.
08:08That's it for today.
08:10Hey, if you pacified your curiosity,
08:12then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:15Or if you want more, just click on these videos
08:17and stay on the Bright Side!

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