Shocks and discontinuities (magnetohydrodynamics)

Okay kiddo, let's talk about shocks and discontinuities in something called magnetohydrodynamics. Do you know what magnetohydrodynamics is? It's the study of how magnetic fields and fluids (like water or air) interact with each other.

Now, sometimes in magnetohydrodynamics, we see something called a shock. A shock is like a big wave in the fluid that happens when something happens really fast. Imagine you're playing with a toy boat in the bathtub and you quickly push the boat forward. The water in front of the boat will push together and make a big wave or "shock" as the boat moves forward.

But in magnetohydrodynamics, shocks can be really important because they can change the properties of the fluid, like its temperature or pressure. Scientists study shocks to better understand how these changes happen and how it affects things like the sun or Earth's atmosphere.

Now, let's talk about discontinuities. A discontinuity is a sudden change in something. In magnetohydrodynamics, we might see a sudden change in the magnetic field or the density (how many particles are in a certain area) of the fluid.

For example, let's say we have a big tank of water. We pour in blue dye on one side and red dye on the other side, so there's a clear boundary between them. That boundary is a discontinuity because there's a sudden change in color from blue to red.

Discontinuities can happen in magnetohydrodynamics when there's a sudden change in the flow of the fluid, or if there's a sudden change in the strength of the magnetic field. Scientists want to study these discontinuities so they can better understand how the fluid and magnetic fields interact with each other.

So there you have it, shocks and discontinuities are changes in a fluid's properties or behavior that can happen really quickly and can help scientists learn more about magnetohydrodynamics.