dropletDiagram.tex

\documentclass[main.tex]{subfiles}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=1,auto,semithick,>=to,decoration={markings,mark=at position 0.5 with {\arrow{>}}}]
	\def\unitlessLegDist{1.5113}
	\def\legDist{\unitlessLegDist cm}
	\def\legRad{0.05cm}
	\def\legShade{black!75}

	\def\motWidth{0.2cm}
	\def\motHeight{0.8cm}
	\def\motDist{1.90cm}
	\def\motShade{gray!50}

	\def\dropletOrient{90}
	\def\pivotTheta{20}
	\pgfmathsetmacro{\helpfulTheta}{asin(cos(\pivotTheta/2))}
	\pgfmathsetmacro{\chordLength}{2*\unitlessLegDist*sin(\pivotTheta/2)}
	\pgfmathsetmacro{\answerTheta}{180-\helpfulTheta - 30}
	\pgfmathsetmacro{\resultXunitless}{\chordLength*cos(\answerTheta)}
	\pgfmathsetmacro{\resultYunitless}{\chordLength*sin(\answerTheta)}
	\def\shiftX{\resultXunitless cm}
	\def\shiftY{\resultYunitless cm}

	\pgftransformrotate{\dropletOrient}
		\draw[thick] (0cm,0cm) circle(2.2cm);
		\draw[gray!20] (0cm, 0cm) -- (2.2cm,0cm);
%		\draw[] (-120:\motDist) -- (60:\legDist) node[below, midway] {\large$\ell$}; %This is the line showing '\ell'
		\foreach \i in {1,...,3} {
			\node[rectangle,draw=black,fill=\motShade,minimum width=\motWidth, minimum height=\motHeight, 
						rotate around={(-\i*120-240+\dropletOrient):(0,0)},label={[label distance=-0.05cm]-160:$m_\i$}] at (-120*\i-240:\motDist) {};
			\node[circle, draw=none, fill=\legShade, inner sep=\legRad,rotate around={-\i*120-60:(0,0)},label={[label distance=-0.15cm]-10:$l_\i$}] at (-60-120*\i:\legDist) {};
		}


		%\node[inner sep=0mm, fill=white] at (-\rxPhi*0.5+\txPhi*0.5 + \rxPhi:0.35cm) {$\theta$};

	\pgftransformrotate{-\dropletOrient}

	\begin{scope}[rotate=\dropletOrient-90]
		\draw[->,semithick,black,>=latex,opacity=0.5] (0,0) -- (3,0);
		\draw[->,semithick,black,>=latex,opacity=0.5] (0,0) -- (0,3);
		\node[anchor=south,opacity=1.0] at (3,0) {$y$};
		\node[anchor=south,opacity=1.0] at (0,3) {$x$};
	\end{scope}

	\draw[|-|,black, thick] (-2.5,-2.2) -- (-2.5, 2.2) node[rotate=90,midway,anchor=south] {$4.4\,\mathrm{cm}$}; 

%\draw[thin] (0,0) arc (-30:-30+\pivotTheta:\legDist) node[right,midway, inner sep=0mm,label={[label distance=-0.02cm]365:$\theta$}] {};
%	\draw[gray] (150:\legDist) -- (\shiftX, \shiftY);
%	\node[inner sep=0mm,label=-10:$\theta$] at (\shiftX/2,\shiftY/2) {};

\end{tikzpicture}



\end{document}