October at the main FCP site

October stories at the main FCP site: (1) As a World Series game was to begin in 1989 in Oakland, seismic waves hit the area. Part of the Nimitz Freeway collapsed, with an upper deck falling onto a lower deck. But the rest of the freeway did not collapse even though the design was similar. What happened? (2) Pub trick: several more ways of opening a wine bottle without a corkscrew. You know, when you suddenly need a drink while trapped in a hotel room after the hotel bar has closed. (3) The physics that explains the warmth in a greenhouse also explains why children die when left in a closed car in sunlight. While I was writing this story, CNN published yet another story about a child left in a closed car. (4) Friction welding, in which two metal surfaces are rubbed together hard enough to melt the surfaces, so as to form a bond between them when they then cool. Main FCP site

Sep 2014 stories at the FCP site

September 2014 stories at the main FCP site: (1) Physics for the first date --- wintergreen flashes. (2) A new record for a deadlift power lifting, but an astounding old lifting record still stands. (3) Pub trick --- a mathematical way to fix a wobbly pub table. (4) When you heat a room, the total energy of the air does not change. So, why then do you feel warmer? ALSO: I have greatly expanded the index at the FCP site. The red links take you to stories at the web site. The blue links take you to the references and Youtube sites for the stories in the paper book. You will find links for individual terms but also for collections of related items, such “Pub physics,” “Accidents,” “Art,” and “Closet, physics to do in a.” (Well, I am still working on that one --- I like closets. The motto for FCP is that “Physics is everywhere,” including closets.)

main FCP site