In physics, a fluid is a substance that continually deforms (flows) under an applied shear stress. Fluids are a subset of the phases of matter and include liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids. Fluids can be defined as substances that have zero shear modulus or in simpler terms a fluid is a substance which cannot resist any shear force applied to it.

Although the term "fluid" includes both the liquid and gas phases, in common usage, "fluid" is often used as a synonym for "liquid", with no implication that gas could also be present. For example, "brake fluid" is hydraulic oil and will not perform its required incompressible function if there is gas in it. This colloquial usage of the term is also common in medicine and in nutrition ("take plenty of fluids").

Liquids form a free surface (that is, a surface not created by the container) while gases do not. The distinction between solids and fluid is not entirely obvious. The distinction is made by evaluating the viscosity of the substance. Silly Putty can be considered to behave like a solid or a fluid, depending on the time period over which it is observed. It is best described as a viscoelastic fluid. There are many examples of substances proving difficult to classify. A particularly interesting one is pitch, as demonstrated in the pitch drop experiment currently running at the University of Queensland.

A fluid is defined as a substance that continually deforms (flows) under an applied shear stress.

Fluid may also refer to:

See also

Rushes is a 1998 ambient techno album by The Fireman, a duo consisting of Paul McCartney and producer Youth.

Recording

One line of lyrics included in the song "Palo Verde" was taken from an unreleased track of McCartney's, titled "Let Me Love You Always". Similarly, bits from another unreleased song, "Hey Now (What Are You Looking at Me For?)", was used in "Bison", "Auraveda" and "7 a.m.". Both unreleased tracks were recorded at some point during 1995, at McCartney's The Mill studio. In an edition of Club Sandwich magazine, two more songs were mentioned: "Plum Jam" and "Through the Marshes". All of the tracks featured on the album were recorded early 1998.

Release and reception

Better received than predecessor Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest, Rushes is distinguished by not relying so much on McCartney's previous recordings.

Rushes was released in the UK on Hydra on 21 September 1998, while in the US it was released on Capitol on 20 October 1998. The album was also released on double vinyl. Two 12" singles were released from the album, both mixes of "Fluid". The first 12", released on the same day as and with the same name as the album, contains the tracks "Fluid", "Appletree Cinnabar Amber", and an extended version of an album track titled "Bison (Long One)". The second 12" was released in 1999, as a limited edition of 3000, titled Fluid (Nitin Sawhney Remixes), and features three remixes of "Fluid" ("Fluid (Out of Body and Mind Mix)", "Fluid (Out of Body Mix)" and "Fluid (Out of Body with Sitar Mix)") and the album version of "Bison". Like the duo's first album,Rushes was a no-show on the charts and is also no longer in print.

Laughter is a physical reaction in humans and some other species of primate, consisting typically of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter can arise from such activities as being tickled, or from humorous stories or thoughts. Most commonly, it is considered a visual expression of a number of positive emotional states, such as joy, mirth, happiness, relief, etc. On some occasions, however, it may be caused by contrary emotional states such as embarrassment, apology, or confusion such as nervous laughter or courtesy laugh. Age, gender, education, language, and culture are all factors as to whether a person will experience laughter in a given situation.

Laughter is a part of human behavior regulated by the brain, helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. Laughter is sometimes seen as contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others as a positive feedback. This may account in part for the popularity of laugh tracks in situation comedy television shows.

Intastella were an alternative rock band from Manchester who evolved from the earlier band Laugh. They had four top-75 hits in the UK during the 1990s.

History

Laugh formed in 1985 with a line-up of Martin Wright (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ian Bendelow (guitar), Martin Mittler (bass guitar), and Spencer Birtwistle (drums, later a member of The Fall). Their debut release was "Take Your Time Yeah!", a flexi-disc included with Debris magazine in December 1985, with three further singles following prior to their only album, Sensation No. 1 (1988). The band had two placings on the UK Independent Chart with "Paul McCartney" (which featured Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon) (#44) and "Time to Lose It" (#19), and recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show.

In 1990 the band parted ways with guitarist Bendelow and discovered singer Stella Grundy and dancer Lil' Anthony, changing their sound to a more dance-orientated style and changing their name to Intastella. They signed to MCA Records and hit the lower reaches of the UK Singles Chart with their first release, "Dream Some Paradise". Two follow-up singles fared similarly, and in late 1991 the band's debut album, Intastella and the Family of People was issued. The band's momentum was lost after Grundy broke her arm in a motorcycle accident, and they were dropped by MCA, returning in 1993 on the Planet-3 label with the Drifter EP, on which they worked with Shaun Ryder. The band's biggest hit came in 1995, with "The Night" reaching #60 in the UK, preceding their second album, What You Gonna Do featuring Manchester Harpist Katie Brett on the track "I'll Be Forever". Further singles followed during 1996 and 1997 but none repeated their earlier success. One of these, "Grandmaster", was used on the soundtrack of the 1997 film Love in Paris. A final album, Nuphonia, was released in 1997.

A laugh is an expression of mirth particular to the human species.

Laugh may also refer to:

See also