Drawing of two Drinking Birds.

Drinking birds are thermodynamically powered toy heat engines that mimick the motions of a bird drinking from a fountain or other water source. They are also known as happy, dippy, dipping, tippy, tipping, sippy, sipping, dip-dip, dinking, or dunking birds. Image File history File links Drinking Bird, Dippy Bird, Sippy Bird, Tippy Bird, Sipping Bird, Tipping Bird, Thermodynamic Bird File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Drinking Bird, Dippy Bird, Sippy Bird, Tippy Bird, Sipping Bird, Tipping Bird, Thermodynamic Bird File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη, therme, meaning heat and δυναμις, dynamis, meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ... A teddy bear A toy is an object used in play. ... A heat engine performs the conversion of heat energy to work by exploiting the temperature gradient between a hot source and a cold sink. Heat is transferred to the sink from the source, and in this process some of the heat is converted into work. ...

Construction and materials

A drinking bird consists of two glass bulbs, joined by a tube (the bird's neck). The tube extends nearly all the way into the bottom bulb but does not extend into the top. The space inside is typically filled with coloured dichloromethane (also known as methylene chloride). R-phrases S-phrases , , Flash point None Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ...

Air is removed from the apparatus, so the space inside the body is filled by dichloromethane vapour. The upper bulb has a "beak" attached, which along with the head, is covered in a felt like material. The bird is typically decorated with paper eyes, a blue top hat (plastic) and a single green tail feather. The whole setup is pivoted on a variable point on the neck.

Despite its classification and appearance as a toy, there are safety considerations. Early models were often filled with highly flammable substances. New versions alleviate this concern by employing dichloromethane, which is nonflammable. However, it can irritate the skin and lungs and is a mutagen and teratogen and is potentially a carcinogen. This does not render the bird unsafe, but owners should exercise caution not to break the toy, especially when displaying it near children and animals. In biology, a mutagen (Latin, literally origin of change) is a physical or chemical agent that changes the genetic information (usually DNA) of an organism and thus increases the number of mutations above the natural background level. ... Teratogenesis is a medical term from the Greek, literally meaning monster making. ... Look up carcinogen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Physical and chemical principles

The drinking bird is an interesting exhibition of several physical laws and is therefore a staple of basic chemistry and physics education. These include: For a list of set rules, see Laws of science. ... For other uses, see Chemistry (disambiguation). ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ...

• The combined gas law, which establishes a proportional relationship between temperature and pressure exerted by a gas in a constant volume.
• The ideal gas law, which establishes a proportional relationship between number of gas particles and pressure in a constant volume.
• The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, which establishes that molecules in a given space at a given temperature vary in energy level, and therefore can exist in multiple phases (solid/liquid/gas) at a single temperature.
• Heat of vaporization (or condensation), which establishes that substances absorb (give off) heat when changing state at a constant temperature.
• Torque and center of mass
• Capillary action of the wicking felt.

The ideal gas law or equation is the equation of state of an ideal gas. ... Isotherms of an ideal gas The ideal gas law is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas, first stated by Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron in 1834. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... In the physical sciences, a phase is a set of states of a macroscopic physical system that have relatively uniform chemical composition and physical properties (i. ... The standard enthalpy change of vaporization, ΔvHo, also (less correctly) known as the heat of vaporization is the energy required to transform a given quantity of a substance into a gas. ... For other senses of this word, see torque (disambiguation). ... In physics, the center of mass of a system of particles is a specific point at which, for many purposes, the systems mass behaves as if it were concentrated. ... Capillary Flow Experiment to investigate capillary flows and phenomena onboard the International Space Station Capillary action, capillarity, capillary motion, or wicking is the ability of a substance to draw another substance into it. ...

How it works

The drinking bird is basically a heat engine that exploits a temperature differential to convert heat energy to kinetic energy and perform mechanical work. Like all heat engines, the drinking bird works through a thermodynamic cycle. The initial state of the system is a bird with a wet head oriented vertically with an initial oscillation on its pivot. A heat engine is a physical or theoretical device that converts thermal energy to mechanical output. ... ε η Θ θ ΛΜßŘěĚūHeat Energy is energy created by the motion of atoms and molecules in a body. ... The cars of a roller coaster reach their maximum kinetic energy when at the bottom of their path. ... In physics, mechanical work is the amount of energy transferred by a force. ...

The cycle operates as follows:

1. The water evaporates from the head (Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution)
2. Evaporation lowers the temperature of the glass head (heat of vaporization)
3. The temperature drop causes some of the dichloromethane vapor in the head to condense
4. The lower temperature and condensation together cause the pressure to drop in the head (ideal gas law)
5. The pressure differential between the head and base causes the liquid to be pushed up from the base.
6. As liquid flows into the head, the bird becomes top heavy and tips over during its oscillations.
7. When the bird tips over, the bottom end of the neck tube rises above the surface of the liquid.
8. A bubble of vapor rises up the tube through this gap, displacing liquid as it goes
9. Liquid flows back to the bottom bulb, and vapor pressure equalizes between the top and bottom bulbs
10. The weight of the liquid in the bottom bulb restores the bird to its vertical position

If a glass of water is placed so that the beak dips into it on its descent, the bird will continue to absorb water and the cycle will continue as long as there is enough water in the glass to keep the head wet. However, the bird will continue to dip even without a source of water, as long as the head is wet, or as long as a temperature differential is maintained between the head and body. This differential can be generated without evaporative cooling in the head -- for instance, a heat source directed at the bottom bulb will create a pressure differential between top and bottom that will drive the engine. The ultimate source of energy is heat in the surrounding environment -- the toy is not a perpetual motion machine. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The standard enthalpy change of vaporization, ΔvHo, also (less correctly) known as the heat of vaporization is the energy required to transform a given quantity of a substance into a gas. ... Isotherms of an ideal gas The ideal gas law is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas, first stated by Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron in 1834. ... This article or section should include material from Parallel Path See also Perpetuum mobile as a musical term Perpetual motion machines (the Latin term perpetuum mobile is not uncommon) are a class of hypothetical machines which would produce useful energy in a way science cannot explain (yet). ...

A recent analysis ^[1] showed that the evaporative heat flux driving a small bird was about 0.5 W, where as the mechanical power expressed in its motion was about 50 microwatts, or a total system efficiency of about 0.01%. More practically, about 1 microwatt can be extracted from the bird, either with a coil/magnet or a ratchet used to winch paperclips.

History

The drinking bird was invented by Miles V. Sullivan in 1945 and patented in 1946. He was a Ph.D. inventor-scientist at Bell labs in Murray Hill, NJ, USA.

The drinking bird in popular culture

The bird was an instant hit upon its creation and achieved near iconic status. It has even appeared in the American TV show The Simpsons, in the episodes "Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes?" "King-Size Homer", and "Das Bus". In the foremost episode, the drinking bird is used by Homer's half-brother Herb Powell as an example of a great invention. However, when Herb begins to talk about his own invention, Homer is still mesmerised by the bird and even offers to buy it from him. In the latter episode, Homer uses the drinking bird to operate the Y key (for "yes") on his work-at-home computer that controlled the necessary venting of gas for the nuclear power plant. Unfortunately, Homer neglects to check on the bird and it falls over, creating a critical situation in the area under Homer's control. In Das Bus, it is seen on Homer's desktop, and is snapped later in the episode. Simpsons redirects here. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... King-Size Homer is the seventh episode of The Simpsons seventh season, which originally aired on November 5, 1995. ... Das Bus is the 14th episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons, and a parody of the book and film Lord of the Flies. ... Herbert Anthony Herb Powell is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Danny DeVito. ... HJS may be or refer to: Homer Jay Simpson Howden Junior School Category: ...

A drinking bird also appears in the 1951 Merrie Melodies cartoon "Putty Tat Trouble". Tweety Bird spies one "drinking" from a glass and, mistaking it for a real bird, asks if he can join it. Tweety mistakes the toy's bobbing motion for a nod of assent and joins it, imitating its back-and-forth movement exactly. Shortly, Sam, another cat who is fighting with Sylvester over Tweety, swallows the drinking bird by mistake, and his body then uncontrollably mimics the same bobbing motion. Merrie Melodies end title Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. ... For other meanings of words and phrases starting with tweet, see tweet. ... Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr. ...

A drinking bird appears in the futuristic Woody Allen film "Sleeper". Sleeper (1973) is a futuristic science fiction comedy film, written by, directed by, and starring Woody Allen. ...

Two drinking birds can be seen on the communal table aboard the space freighter Nostromo during the opening scenes of the 1979 science fiction film "Alien", directed by Ridley Scott. USCSS The Nostromo is a fictional starship, featured in the 1979 film Alien. ... This article is about the first film in a series. ... Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields, South Tyneside) is a British film director and producer. ...

In the 1990 film Darkman, drinking birds are used to set off explosions - one in Westlake's lab, and the other in a warehouse. Darkman is a 1990 film film directed by Sam Raimi that was based on a short story he wrote and paying homage to Universal horror films of the 1930s. ...

The drinking bird (under the name "water bird") is a furniture item in the Animal Crossing videogames. It also appears as the "dunkin' dragon" in the Sierra game Quest for Glory I. For other uses, see Animal Crossing (disambiguation). ... Sierra Entertainment is an American computer game developer and publisher headquartered in Los Angeles, California. ... Quest for Glory 5 cover Quest for Glory was a series of hybrid role-playing/adventure computer games designed by Corey and Lori Cole. ...

On Jimmy Neutron, a drinking bird appears as a gift to Carl from the aliens.

See also

• Heat engine
• Thermodynamics

A heat engine is a physical or theoretical device that converts thermal energy to mechanical output. ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη, therme, meaning heat and δυναμις, dynamis, meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ...

Footnotes

External links

• How a drinking bird works.
• Drinking bird movies and images
• gallery of variations, and "care guide"
• modification guide for a purely solar-powered bird
• art project by Daniel Reynolds
• Miles V. Sullivan designed the Drinking Bird in 1945 - filed for patent 2,402,463 on Aug 6, 1945
• Drinking Duck: Demonstration experiment (instruction and video)
• [1] Who invented the drinking bird?