The effects of surface tension and temperature on the nonlinear dynamics of the dripping faucet

The effects of surface tension and temperature on the nonlinear dynamics of the dripping faucet were investigated, through the introduction of high-resolution timing, temperature and continuously variable flow rate controls, and the addition of surfactant of the water. The continuously variable flow rate allows the recording of the novel “dripping spectrum” (drop intervals {ti} versus flow rate) over a wide range of flow rate in a single experiment. Lowering the surface tension dramatically changes the dynamics, sharpens the familiar dripping patterns previously found for water, and reveals the existence of novel single and multiple closed-loop patterns. Using dripping spectra, time-delay and time-series representations, the closed-loop patterns are shown to correspond to quasiperiodic states. Lowering the temperature reduces random noise and shifts the occurrence of characteristic patterns to higher flow rates.