Percolation

For example, in geology, percolation refers to filtration of water through soil and permeable rocks.

In places where infiltration basins or septic drain fields are planned to dispose of substantial amounts of water, a percolation test is needed beforehand to determine whether the intended structure is likely to succeed or fail.

Statistical physics concepts such as scaling theory, renormalization, phase transition, critical phenomena and fractals are used to characterize percolation properties.

Due to the complexity involved in obtaining exact results from analytical models of percolation, computer simulations are typically used.

The current fastest algorithm for percolation was published in 2000 by Mark Newman and Robert Ziff.