Using sophisticated mathematics, a team of scientists at a university in Vienna were able to identify three separate factors that can create the ‘teapot effect,’ which is when pouring causes spillage.

Scientists have finally figured out how to make the perfect cup of tea without it spilling out of the teapot.

According to a study, the pourer must reach the optimal angle of the spout to prevent spilling.

Markus Reiner initially identified the “teapot effect” in 1956, and scientists have struggled to understand its causes since.

Pouring tea from a teapot is a difficult task because of the fluid dynamics involved.

Pouring too slowly can cause the tea to drip down the outside of the teapot rather than directly into the cup.

They carried out some trials to confirm their conclusions.

“Although this is a very common and seemingly simple effect, it is remarkably difficult to explain it exactly within the framework of fluid mechanics,” said the study author Dr. Bernhard Scheichl.

High-speed cameras were used to capture the water being poured from a tilting teapot at various flow rates in order to determine the best non-drip approach.

Specialists in rheology, the study of flowing materials, utilized ‘complex’ mathematical formulas to compute three different forces that generate the teapot effect: inertia, viscous, and capillary. The teapot effect is caused by the interaction of three different forces.

While the inertia force ensures that the poured liquid maintains its initial path, capillary forces cause the fluid to slow down right at the teapot’s beak as it is poured.

When liquid flowed swiftly enough, a droplet appeared on the teapot’s beak’s underside.

If the speed was less than the ‘critical threshold,’ the drop redirected the whole flow around the teapot’s perimeter and down its sides.

According to Dr. Scheichl: “The sharp edge on the underside of the teapot beak plays the most important role: a drop forms, the area directly below the edge always remains wet.

“We have now succeeded for the first time in providing a complete theoretical explanation of why this drop forms and why the underside of the edge always remains wetted.”

According to the findings of the study, the unexplained phenomenon can only be observed when the pot’s wall is at a very particular angle in reference to the liquid’s surface.

With a narrower angle, it is more difficult for liquid to separate itself from the spout and flow out of the container.

In his words: “The teapot effect would be observed on a moon base, but not on a space station with no gravity.

“It was possible to show exactly how the wetting of the edge below a critical pouring rate leads to the ‘teapot effect’, confirming the theory.”

When tea is freshly brewed at 80 degrees Celsius, the researchers recommend pouring it immediately since the liquid is less likely to adhere to the cup.

If possible, choose tea pots with long, narrow spigots, such as those made of china or ceramic, rather than glass or ceramic.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

Image Credit: Getty

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