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Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station
oleh: Henri Gouin
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-10-01 |
Deskripsi
Among the phenomena attributable to the Moon’s actions on living organisms, one of them seems to be related to analytical fluid mechanics: along the route of the International Space Station around the Earth, experiments on plants have revealed leaf oscillations. A parametric resonance due to a short period of microgravitational forces could explain these oscillations. Indeed, Rayleigh-Taylor’s instabilities occurring at the interfaces between liquid-water and its vapor verify a second-order <i>Mathieu differential equation</i>. This is the case of interfaces existing in the xylem channels of plant stems filled with sap and air-vapor. The magnitude of the instabilities depends on the distances between the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth. They are analogous, but less spectacular, to those that occur during ocean tides.