Billr sends this in: “Obviously his weirdly shaped cup is key, but what exactly is going on?”
Those who like to ponder cartoon physics might wonder what the characteristics of such a coffee mug might be.
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13 Comments
The weirdly shaped mug is shaped like an hourglass.
I ignore real physics and just imagine that means that the coffee moves through it slowly like sand through an hourglass. No further investigation such as “which part holds the coffee?” or “is the handle involved?” is likely to be useful.
(And now I’m imagining the opening screen and the announcer’s voice saying “…. so are the Days of Our Lives”)
Cartoon physics aside, real physics backs up his claim. If the lower half is full of coffee and he tries to pour it out, air needs to enter the bottom chamber to replace the exiting liquid. If the constriction is tight, the liquid leaving will create a partial vacuum, making it difficult for more coffee to flow out smoothly. In an extreme case, the coffee might not flow out at all unless he shakes or tilts the mug to let air bubbles slip in through the constriction.
Not sure why this is funny though.
Stan, that reminds me of when I used to have a “yard of ale” glass. The bottom of it is a bulb. When you lift it, there is a narrow point when the ale seeps over the edge of the bulb. Any higher and you get a faceful of ale. This guy would probably have the same problem, forcing him to sip it slowly.
I’m not sure that the mug is supposed to be an hourglass – I interpreted it as an attempt to render a ∞-shaped mug. Thus unending coffee.
Gnoman–wouldn’t it have to be on its side for that to work? Instead of a top and bottom, you’d need a left and right.
Ed, your memory of the “yard of ale” bottle brought to mind this video about the “Pythagoras cup” which YouTube suggested to me yesterday, for reasons unknown.
What position do you think it would be in when he was drinking from it?
Mitch4 (6): Not a bottle, a tall (or long, when in use) glass. See ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1394789
Maybe he needs a Klein Bottle. Or would that give him infinite coffee?
Thanks Ed, but I do know the yard-of-ale thing, and have handled them at times. To me, the shape is conveyed better by calling it a bottle; though I accept your point that it shares features with a glass, such as not being sealable, and being intended for direct drinking out of.
In a true Klein bottle there is no distinct inside or outside, just as on a Mobius strip there are not two distinct sides. So all the coffee in the world is just as much “inside” as “outside” the Klein bottle.
Mitch4 (6): I couldn’t get past the scientist’s fright-wig.
Comics I Don't Understand 
The weirdly shaped mug is shaped like an hourglass.
I ignore real physics and just imagine that means that the coffee moves through it slowly like sand through an hourglass. No further investigation such as “which part holds the coffee?” or “is the handle involved?” is likely to be useful.
(And now I’m imagining the opening screen and the announcer’s voice saying “…. so are the Days of Our Lives”)
Cartoon physics aside, real physics backs up his claim. If the lower half is full of coffee and he tries to pour it out, air needs to enter the bottom chamber to replace the exiting liquid. If the constriction is tight, the liquid leaving will create a partial vacuum, making it difficult for more coffee to flow out smoothly. In an extreme case, the coffee might not flow out at all unless he shakes or tilts the mug to let air bubbles slip in through the constriction.
Not sure why this is funny though.
Stan, that reminds me of when I used to have a “yard of ale” glass. The bottom of it is a bulb. When you lift it, there is a narrow point when the ale seeps over the edge of the bulb. Any higher and you get a faceful of ale. This guy would probably have the same problem, forcing him to sip it slowly.
I’m not sure that the mug is supposed to be an hourglass – I interpreted it as an attempt to render a ∞-shaped mug. Thus unending coffee.
Gnoman–wouldn’t it have to be on its side for that to work? Instead of a top and bottom, you’d need a left and right.
Ed, your memory of the “yard of ale” bottle brought to mind this video about the “Pythagoras cup” which YouTube suggested to me yesterday, for reasons unknown.
What position do you think it would be in when he was drinking from it?
Mitch4 (6): Not a bottle, a tall (or long, when in use) glass. See ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1394789
Maybe he needs a Klein Bottle. Or would that give him infinite coffee?
Thanks Ed, but I do know the yard-of-ale thing, and have handled them at times. To me, the shape is conveyed better by calling it a bottle; though I accept your point that it shares features with a glass, such as not being sealable, and being intended for direct drinking out of.
In a true Klein bottle there is no distinct inside or outside, just as on a Mobius strip there are not two distinct sides. So all the coffee in the world is just as much “inside” as “outside” the Klein bottle.
Mitch4 (6): I couldn’t get past the scientist’s fright-wig.
@Chak, you can buy a Klein beer mug and try it!
https://www.kleinbottle.com/