Water drops going upwards in Aurora? Kuya Kim explains

A recent video made rounds online after it showed water drops seemingly rising up instead of falling down to the ground in Aurora.

In Kim Atienza's "Kuya Kim, Ano Na?" segment on "24 Oras", on Thursday, Physicist Ryan Victoria pointed out that it was impossible for water droplets to go upwards because of gravity.

The water that seemed to be rising instead of falling was just an optical illusion or what science calls a stroboscopic effect.

Based on the video, the scientist explained that the effect is due to the short intervals between the droplets making it appear going the opposite direction.

“Ang nakita dun sa video ay epekto ng tinatawag na stroboscopic effect- nagmumukha yung object na gumagalaw pataas pero hindi naman talaga. Gawa nung maikling pagitan noong ah droplets ng tubig. Sa pagtuloy-tuloy nitong pagdaloy pababa, nagmumukha tuloy itong dumadaloy pataas,” Victoria said. 

(What was seen in the video was the effect of what is called the stroboscopic effect - the object appears to be moving upwards but it is not. It is caused by the short intervals between the water droplets. As it continues to flow downwards, it appears to continue flowing upwards.) 

Victoria added that another example of  stroboscopic effect is evident in the blades of electric fans. 

“Halimbawa na lang doon sa elesi ng electric fan…Kung tuloy-tuloy ‘yung pag-ikot nito, nagmumukhang backward yung movement,” he said. 

(For example, in the case of an electric fan... If it keeps rotating, the movement looks backward.) —Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News