The canonical framework of drop impact provides excellent opportunities to co-develop experimental, analytical and computational techniques in a rich multi-scale context. In this talk we will first consider (at different levels of detail) several classical normal/axisymmetric impact scenarios in the so-called inertio-capillary regime leading to bouncing dynamics, building a solid foundation and strengthening our intuitions along the way: 1. a solid sphere impacting a deep liquid pool (JFM 912, A17, 2021) 2. a liquid drop impacting a deep liquid pool (JFM 958, A24, 2023) 3. a liquid drop impacting a superhydrophobic substrate (JFM 1019, A25, 2025). In all cases experimental measurements - with studies conducted in the Harris Lab at Brown University - of the droplet trajectory are compared directly to the predictions of quasi-potential models, as well as unsteady multi-phase Navier-Stokes direct numerical simulation data. The multi-pronged methodology has allowed us to unify and resolve interesting outstanding questions within this rich multi-fluid configuration, giving us the perfect platform to explore a challenging 3D scenario together: the (symmetry-breaking) impact of a millimetric liquid drop onto a moving pool, focusing on how the competing effects challenge our understanding of the rebound dynamics and the bouncing-to-coalescence transition threshold in particular (JFM 1030, A16, 2026).
