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Concept

cavitation

The image depicts a central dark sphere surrounded by a network of translucent, bubble-like structures, illustrating the concept of cavitation where vapor-filled bubbles form and collapse in a liquid under low-pressure conditions.

The formation and collapse of vapour-filled bubbles in a liquid when local pressure drops below the vapour pressure. Ship propellers cavitate at speed, eroding the bronze; the same physics pits the impellers of pumps and the leading edges of hydrofoils. The collapse is violent enough to release light, heat, and a shockwave — useful for breaking kidney stones, destructive almost everywhere else.

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