Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Flying Circus of Physics October 2015


The October 2015 stories at the main FCP site: (1) Pointy ice drops --- water drops that form peaks at their tops when they freeze and that then form fern-like structures along their sides. (2) Japanese samurai warriors wore large cloth bags on their back when they rode into battle. Were these horo, as they are called, purely for decoration or were they protective devices against the arrows the opponents shot at the warriors? A video reveals the function of the horo. (3) Here is a challenge against all common sense: Drive a nail into the ceiling by juggling hammers beneath it. This juggler manages to do just that in spite of the fact that an object (here a hammer) slows as it moves upward. So, what is his secret? (4) Pub trick: on a card draw arrows pointing left and right. In a pub setting, how can you reverse their directions without touching the card (and, of course, without standing on your head, which would certainly get you thrown out of the pub)? Oh, by the way, I intend to post stories on the Facebook site more frequently. A few days ago I posted a story about how people made an ice merry-go-round in the middle of a lake. It must have been a depressing winter, or maybe they just wanted a project to justify lots of adult beverages.Flying Circus of Physics main site FCP Facebook

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