The Flying Circus of Physics is a book about curious events and effects of the everyday world. This site is an extension of the book.
Spotlight story for this month: Click on the title down below here
Secondary stories for this month: Click on "News/Updates" in menu at the left
Archived stories and links (hundreds): 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
Index to this site and the book, not only individual terms but also collections, such as "Pub physics" and "Accidents" and "Stunts": A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J-K, L, M-O, P-Q, R, S, T-Z
Seven videos in my Flying Circus of Physics video series with Cleveland State University has been posted. About one per month is going up. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChrOvC-DFkPNxKIxe-XKD3g
Facebook Flying Circus of Physics site (public site): my old television videos, many photos, and more stories. Here is the link. Come for a visit.
Jay Waller stories: Physics for
Citations (over 11,000) and links (over 2000) for items in the book (pdf files):
Chap 1, Chap 2, Chap 3, Chap 4, Chap 5, Chap 6, Chap 7
---- Jearl Walker
Flying Circus of Physics Spotlight
Fans at some sporting events can be so enthusiastic that they shake the ground enough for seismic detectors to record ground waves. With coordinated jumping, you would think the stadium would collapse.
Flying Circus of Physics Sample
Cocktail-party effect
In a small party with people standing and talking in pairs, each member of a pair stands at a “socially acceptable” distance from the other and the two can hear each other without any trouble. However, as the density of people in the room increases, why does hearing become more difficult, and what does each member of a pair do in response? Why can a voice still be distinguished? You might notice these same effects in many other environments, such as a noisy restaurant or subway car. MORE
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