Ever wondered why the big pieces in your muesli come to the top when you shake it, or why when you try and shake things to mix them up some pieces clump together and just wont mix? Well then the university of Nottingham will explain the answer. Sixty Symbols is a series of (sixty) short videos explaining the meaning of the symbols used in Physics.
One of those symbols is Capital Gamma, the relationship between acceleration and gravity, also called the Brazil Nut effect. When a mixture of things is accelerated vertically relative to gravity the larger things in the mix will ALWAYS rise to the top (Brazil nuts in muesli). So shaking your muesli to mix it evenly just wont work.
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This is an experiment you can try at home.
