Luke Robert Robitaille explains his research at the Regeneron Science Talent Search in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of Regeneron Science Talent Search
A Euless high schooler used a mathematical concept to study braids, which could help researchers understand how fluids mix.
Driving the news: The research netted Luke Robert Robitaille $40,000 at the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Details: Robitaille used the concept of topological entropy to study braids and found that a low number of strands mostly led to orderly braids, but the intertwined twists became chaotic with a large number of strands.
The 18-year-old homeschooled senior took the sixth-place prize in the talent search, the nation's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.
- Sponsor Regeneron is a publicly traded biotech company.
What they’re saying: Robitaille said strands "can intertwine and make all sort of weird mathematical patterns."
- "You think of braids as related to mixing up fluids."
Go deeper: Watch Robitaille explain his project here.
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