Have you ever wondered why a dropped glass or a falling rock always shatters in a certain pattern? For decades, scientists have been puzzled by this. No matter what breaks, the way it shatters seems to
follow the same pattern. Now, a scientist from France has uncovered the mystery, discovering a ‘universal law’ that applies to everything that breaks.
Remarkably, this law can even predict how many pieces an object will split into. The discovery uses the principles of entropy and probability, and it is making waves not only in physics but could also revolutionise industries like mining.
The Breakthrough
Emmanuel Villermaux of Aix-Marseille University in France made this significant breakthrough. He created an equation that explains how things break, whether it is dry spaghetti, a dinner plate, or a glass. The same physics rule applies to all. When the broken pieces are graphed, the pattern always looks identical.
Instead of examining tiny cracks, Villermaux approached the problem from a big-picture perspective, focusing on the most likely outcome after breaking rather than how the cracks initially formed.
Understanding Entropy
Villermaux relied on the concept of entropy, which measures disorder. Simply put, the universe tends to move from order to disorder. For example:
- A hot cup of coffee left in a room cools down as its energy spreads.
- A dropped glass shatters, but the pieces never reassemble.
He proposed that nature always chooses the outcome with the most disorder, explaining why broken objects consistently follow a ‘scattered’ pattern. Even the pieces of a shattered plate obey these physical laws.
Testing The Law: From Spaghetti To Ocean Waves
To validate this law, Villermaux conducted numerous experiments, combining old and new data. He tested:
- Glass rods
- Dry spaghetti
- Plates
- Ceramic tubes
Surprisingly, the law held even for floating plastic pieces in the ocean and breaking storm waves. In every scenario, the breaking pattern and corresponding graph were the same.
The Equation Of Breaking
Villermaux combined entropy with another physics rule that explains how the density of broken pieces changes. Using these principles, he developed an equation that can accurately predict how many pieces of each size will form when something breaks.
This shows that even in apparent chaos, there is hidden order.
Limits Of The Universal Law
While broad, this law does not apply universally. Villermaux notes it fails where randomness is absent. Examples include:
- Water droplets breaking up evenly, where fluid physics rules dominate
- Materials like plastic, where cracks sometimes heal themselves
- Cases where pieces collide during breaking
Ferenc Kun of Debrecen University in Hungary praised the research, observing that the commonality of the graphs suggested a fundamental principle at work.
Real-World Applications: Mining And Safety
This research has significant practical implications:
- Mining: Understanding breaking patterns can reduce energy consumption when breaking rocks and ores, making mining more efficient and cost-effective.
- Mountain Safety: With global warming, rockfalls are increasing. Predicting the breaking pattern of rocks can improve safety measures.
Scientists aim to explore further, focusing not just on the size of broken pieces but also on their shape. They also want to determine the smallest possible size of fragments in breaking processes.
