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I'm a college student majoring in culinology and I'm trying to find out the reason or method of the number 8 motion. Responses doesn't have to be in culinology examples, but that would be a great help if it is.

From my observations of the circular motions v.s. the figure 8 motions, if I was to mix cake batter with big circular motions in a bowl; the center would not be affected. Mixing the cake batter with small circular motions would have the opposite effect as making big circles.

Now mixing the cake batter in a figure 8 motion would hit all the spots, (center & outer area) but you'll have to turn the bowl to make this true.

I think the amount of velocity and the force used to mix in these ways would change things.

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    $\begingroup$ If you're referring to mixers that use two spinning objects, I think it's done so that the bowl holding the material being mixed doesn't spin. $\endgroup$
    – Brandon Enright
    Commented Feb 26, 2014 at 6:08
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    $\begingroup$ I think you can simplify this problem in case of mixing cake batter as mixing with stokes flow. I am not an expert on this subject, but a quick search suggests that there are a lot of different strategies for this. Here are two examples of numerical simulations: good and bad. However if you would increase the mixing velocity or have a fluid with lower viscosity it might not behave as a stokes flow and might even have chaotic turbulent flow which mixes faster. $\endgroup$
    – fibonatic
    Commented Feb 26, 2014 at 9:05

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When mixing with a steady pattern, there are always spots which are not intersected by the stirring path. These spots tend to sit with unmixed material in them. With the figure eight, there are four regions that could potentially stagnate. There are the two regions within the loops of the figure eight, which are small, possibly non existent depending on the width and repeatability of the path. Then there are the regions outside the figure eight. There regions are more concerning. However, they have an advantage over the regions in the circular paths. In the figure eight one region is constantly being pushed towards while the other region is constantly being scooped from. This will cause the material to migrate from one side to the other crossing the mixing path in the process. Thus the figure eight should provide improved mixing over the circular paths.

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