Index P-Q
Extended Index
The Flying Circus of Physics,
second edition
red number --- takes you to an archived story here at this web site,
complete with video links and journal citations. Once there, scroll
down or use Ctrl-F to search.
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links and journal citations) for the stories published in the book.
Once there, scroll down or use Ctrl-F to search.
P
Packing
clown car, 1.237
M&M candies, 2.139
Paint
art, glaze and appearance of depth, 7.14
brushes, pulling up paint, 2.95
color-shifting inks and paints, 6.119, 6.119
wall, glossy and nonglossy, 6.131
Pan, colors on cooking, 6.114
Panic escape, 2.105
Paper, wadding and folding limits, 1.145, 1.145
video of me, The Daily Planet show
Paper clip linking, pub trick, 1.252
Parachuting
landing safely, 1.55
midair rescue, 1.50
pumpkin gets loose, 1.158
Parchment paper effect, 2.170
Paris church, sunbeam illuminating meridian line, 6.23
Party physics
Also see Pub physics (below)
closet, physics to do in a
light flashes from wintergreen mints, 5.19, 5.19
light from peeled adhesive tape, 5.17
reading in the dark, 7.15, 7.15
trailing ghost light, 7.16
cocktail-party effect, 3.27
folding and wadding paper, limits, 1.145, 1.145
video of me, The Daily Planet show
hanging spoons and bottle caps on your face, 1.57, 1.57
video of me, Cleveland State University
hot chocolate effect, frequency shifting in cup acoustics, 3.40
video of me, Cleveland State University
human domino chain reaction, 1.68
spaghetti breaking into three or more pieces, 1.220
wineglasses
shattering with voice, 3.44, 3.44
singing, 3.43
Patterns
Arctic ice polygons, 4.28
beach cusps, 2.72
beading, saliva and spider threads, 2.81
birds in vee formation, 2.18, 2.18
circular pattern around sink's water stream, 2.29
Chladni figures of sand on vibrating plate, 2.141, 2.141
cloud streets, 2.138
coffee stain rings, 2.91, 2.91
coffee surface, 2.90
corn-starch slurry, polygon fracture patterns during drying, 1.143, 1.143
edge waves, 2.71
finely grooved reflectors, 6.108
forest-fire strips, 2.138
frost flowers on window, 4.111
Giant's Causeway, polygonal fracturing, 1.143, 1.143
moire, silk on silk, fence behind fence, 7.12
mud cracks, 4.68
oil, pattern in heated, 2.90
olive oil on talc-covered water, 2.153
passport optical display (not a hologram), 6.109
ring vortex, 2.40, 2.40
rock patterns (circles, lines) in repeatedly frozen ground, 4.29
sand piles, self organization, 2.106
salt fingers, 2.135
snow, melting, 4.39
solid ball diffraction pattern, 6.151, 6.151
tea
leaves in stirred tea, 2.25
roll pattern, 2.90
secondary flow, 2.25
Tia Maria, wormy patterns, 2.89, 2.89
vinyl record reflections, 6.107
wakes of ducks and ships, 2.68
water drop into thin glycerin layer, 2.152
windrows on water (long horizontal vortexes), 2.137
wine evaporation, 2.193
wine, tears of strong, 2.88
Peachy skin, optical properties of, 6.133
Pearls, optics, 6.116
Pedestrian flow, 2.105
Pedestrian throw, 1.215
Peeling tape glow, 5.17, 5.17
Pencil
falling over, motion of tip over table top, 1.69,
point breaking, more likely with sharp point, 1.70
shadow when inserted in water, 6.99
Pendulum,
bell that would not ring, 1.121
building sway, 1.133
carnival bottle swing, 1.177
carrying loads
on the head, 1.117
with oscillating poles, 1.118
chain collisions in adjacent pendulums (Newton's cradle), 1.42
coupled pendulums, 1.119
incense swing, 1.114, 1.114
inverted pendulum, 1.116
Poe's pendulum in the pit, 1.115
pumping playground swing, 1.113
spring pendulum, 1.120
suspended pocket watch begins to swing, 1.180
unicycle rider, 1.116
Wilberforce pendulum, 1.150
Penguins
huddling, 4.4
projectiles through ice holes, 1.197
vision, 7.18
voices (beat frequencies), 3.15
Pepper’s ghost, stage illusion, 6.62
Percolators, 4.51
Permafrost, sounds in, 3.79
Perpetual motion, Boyle's, 2.195
Pervious concrete, 2.184
Petals, color saturation in flowers, 6.120
Petro station fire, 5.9, 5.9
Phantom accidents, lingering traffic flow complications, 1.3
Phonograph record, reflection patterns, 6.107
Phosphenes, induced visual patterns, 7.7
Photonic crystal, 6.95
Physics death roll, alligator and crocodile, 1.209
Picture becoming crooked, 1.147, 1.147
Pillar of light below Sun and Moon, 6.35
Pine needle sounds, 3.2
Pingos in permafrost, 4.27
Pinhole
cameras, 6.102
images of Sun, 6.103, 6.103
pupil of eye acting as pinhole in diffraction effects, 6.104
reading through pinholes improves visibility, 7.33, 7.33
rifle sights, 7.33
selfies, 7.33
Pinning of liquid films
coffee stains, 2.91, 2.91
liquid spreading downward on wall, 2.84
Pinspeck cameras, 6.102
Pipes
bursting by internal ice, 4.25
licking cold pipes, 4.26, 4.26
Pisa, leaning tower of, 1.67, 1.67
Pit stop, 5.9, 5.9
Pizzas
cooking, 4.47
eating hot, 4.42
tossing, 1.222
Plants
aspen tree colors, 6.121
corn, sound of growing, 3.75
fungi, catapulting, 2.99
greenhouse warmth, 4.84, 4.84
heat producing, snow melting, 4.57
helicopter seeds, 2.11, 2.11
iridescent, 6.118
leaves, 2.10, 2.11
oscillating, 1.132
tumbleweed attack, 2.186
twining, 1.207
watering in sunlight, light focusing and burning, 6.92
Plastic bag stretching, 1.142
Plastic strips, flying, 5.59
Plastic surgery apron and bacteria, 5.8
Plastic wrap, electrical effects, 5.34
Platoons, traffic, 1.2
Platypus, electric-field hunting, 5.56
Playground,
merry-go-round, 1.19
slide, electrostatics, 5.8, 5.8
swings, 1.113
Ploughing boulders, 4.30
Plumbing rumbling, 3.47
Plumb line, pull by Himalayas, 1.192
Plumes
chimneys, 4.75
insects, 4.93
shrimp, 4.93
Pointillism, 7.11
Poisson spot in shadow of solid object, 6.151, 6.151
Polar-bear hairs, 4.58
Polarization
ant navigation, 6.128, 6.128, 7.38
building reflections, 6.126
car windshield, 6.129
Haidinger's brush (visual effect of polarized light), 7.39
human detection of, 7.39
insect detection of, 6.126, 7.38
print ink, 6.160
skylight
appearance of path in clouds, 6.127
production, 6.127
Viking navigation, 6.127
Polarizing sunglasses
disappearing puddle, 6.126
eliminating glare, 6.126, 6.126
smog and disappearing mountains, 6.139
stress spots on car rear window, 6.129
Polar route, radiation exposure in airplanes traveling in, 7.46
Pole climbing, 1.264
Pole vaulting, 1.26
Police whistle, 3.3
Pollination by bees, electrical effects, 5.32
Pond, physics at a
archer fish, 6.85
bullfrog croaking through its eardrums, 3.11
cricket chirps, 3.12
ducks stay dry, 2.97
duck wake pattern, 2.68
helicopter seeds, 2.11, 2.11
shadows in water, 6.99
water striders, 2.85, 2.85, 2.169
Ponytail shapes, hair interactions determines shapes, 1.245
Pool shots, 1.74
Pop can stability, shaky airplane or train ride, 1.149
Popcorn
cell phone heating (fake video), 4.101
superheating and explosion, 4.48, 4.49
Popped rice, physics very different from popcorn, 4.49
Porpoise, bow-wave riding for a free ride, 2.70, 2.70
Positive afterimage, 7.15
Positive strike, lightning, more rate than negative strike, 5.4
Posphor gun sights and quark transitions, 6.161
Potassium-40, isotope in banana and potato, 4.101
Potato, radioactive potassium exposure, 4.101
Potato stickers (nails), cooking with, 4.64
Pottery, water cooling by evaporation, 4.61
Pouring
art (Holton Rower poured art), 2.188
beer boot, 2.120
Boyle's perpetual motion device, 2.195
fast, airline pouring, 2.194
Guinness, 2.76, 2.76
glug-glug, 2.120, 2.120
gushing, 2.76, 2.76
liquid stream bouncing, 2.60, 2.60
rainbow, alcoholic layers, 2.187
ribboning, 2.62
smooth (fake video), 2.75
tea, standing on rotating platform, 1.242
teapot effect, 2.51
water onto car, crushing car, 2.191
yard of ale, 2.120, 2.120
Powder patterns, 2.141
Powders
electrical effects, 5.11, 5.11, 5.12, 5.18, 5.29
explosions, 5.11, 5.11
lack of color, 6.130
oscillating, 2.108
razorbacks, Martian, 5.53
Power lines
AC versus DC argument, 5.22, 5.22
repairing live lines, 5.22, 5.22
Power outage, solar effects, 5.47
Powers of Ten --- the video, 6.163
Prairie dog home, ventilation, 2.22
Prank
beer bottle tapping, gushing, 2.76
chair jerked away, 1.166
dead-cat bomb, 4.31
gyroscope in suitcase, 1.105
Precariously balancing
bus on cliff edge, 1.216
chair on cliff edge, 1.239
rocks and an area's history of earthquakes, 1.125
Precession of top, 1.104
Precious stones
Alexandrite effect, color shift with change in lighting, 6.96
diamonds, sparkle ruined by grime on the bottom 6.94
nacre, iridescent and luster due to optical interference, 6.116
opals, colors due to diffraction, 6.95, 6.95
pearls, iridescent and luster due to optical interference, 6.116
star sapphire illusion, 6.93, 6.93
Pressure regulator on pressure cooker, 1.171
Pressure within airplanes, ear pressure, opening fluid containers, 4.69
Pressure, negative, lifting water through a tree, 2.136
Prisoner's cinema (phosphenes), 7.7
Projecticles
archer fish, 6.85
baseball aerodynamics, 2.16
basketball shots, 1.33
car long jumps, 1.81
catching flyball, 1.21
football spin for long pass, 1.112
golf ball flight, 1.36
human cannonball, 1.32
long jump, track and field sports, 1.38, 1.38
lucky shots, 1.228
motorcycle long jumps, 1.81
record free throw, 1.34
rocks ejected from meteor strike, 1.37
ski jump, 2.7, 2.7
Prommel, sword physics, 1.198
Pub physics
Also see Beer and Champagne
1000 drops from an empty bottle, 2.167
balancing a coin on a folded paper edge, 1.91
balancing a hammer and a lorry, 1.217
balancing bottle on knives, 1.239
balancing pins on rim of drinking glass, 1.239
beer spots in bottle caps, 2.190
beer can crushing, 1.229
beer cooling, 4.61
beer mug wall illusion inflates amount of beer, 6.136, 7.52
blowing out a candle, 2.50
bottle cap, beer spots, 2.190
bottle cap into bottle, 2.180
bottle self-righting, 1.106
bottle tapping prank, dramatic gushing, 2.76
bottle wobbling, 1.110
Brazil-nut effect, 2.108, 2.108
burnt wood match, 4.105
business card hole, 1.251
can stuck to hand, 2.120
champagne cork as a morter round, 1.225
champagne, raisin 2.177
coin balancing, 1.239
coin through small opening, 1.246
coin, wobbling, 1.110
collecting grains of black pepper, 2.150
cooling beer, 4.61
currency balancing on one finger, 1.239
egg tricks, 2.176, 1.138
egg spin, behavior, fresh versus hard boiled, 1.107, 1.107
video of me, Cleveland State University
electric dipole, deflection of water stream, 5.57
escaping from a cellophane pocket, 2.162
evaporating wine, 2.193
evaporative cooling, 4.61
exchanging water and whiskey, 2.120
fast pouring, 2.194
fluorescence of gin and tonic, 5.19
glug-glug clearing of foam, 2.120
Guinness downward moving bubbles, 2.76, 2.76
video of me, The Daily Planet show
Guinness widget, gas release, 2.76
hand twist rod inversion, 1.256
hanging a bottle on the wall, 1.221
hanging bottle caps and spoons on your face, 1.57
video of me, Cleveland State University
height versus circumference, 1.248
hole in hand illusion, 7.55
how water can hide a coin, 6.84
inflating a long bag, 2.174
inverted can of Red Bull, 2.120
inverted glass of water, 2.120, 2.120
inverted glass, wine rising into, 4.108
leaping match, 1.265
lifting a bottle with thumb and one finger, 1.57
lifting a glass from a table wet with whiskey, 2.157
lifting rice with a rod, 2.125
video of me, The Daily Planet show
lifting shot glass with palm, 4.104
lighting a candle, 4.78
liquid origami, 2.170
making a coin rattle, 4.103
making a ketchup packet float and dive, 2.172
making straw paper stretch and crawl, 2.171
martini, olive swirling in, 2.25
matchstick rocket, 1.168
moving match sticks on a glass rim, 3.43
mug wall thickness, illusion of beer volume, 6.136, 7.52
oil blobs in water, 2.178
olive in martini, 2.25
opening a beer bottle without a bottle opener, 1.262
opening a wine bottle without a corkscrew, 1.269
optically reversing arrows, 6.168
ouzo effect, 6.113, 6.113
paper clip linking, 1.252
pencil through plastic water bag, 2.179
pepper and salt, electrostatic separation, 5.60
pins in water, 2.192
plastic straw, popping, 3.93
pop can stability, 1.149
pouring a rainbow, of colored liquids, 2.187
rainbow, pouring, colored liquids, 2.187
raisin, champagne, 2.177
removing a bill from between balanced bottles, 1.164
removing a coin from under a mug, 1.230
removing a lighter from under a bottle, 1.164
removing the cork from a wine bottle, 1.213
reversing an egg in a tequila glass, 2.50
rotating a matchstick balanced within a glass container, 5.8
salt and pepper, electrostatic separation, 5.60
self-righting bottle, 1.106
separating two pub glasses, 2.183
shoe used to open wine bottle, 2.196
shot glass pick up with palm, 4.110
slam-freezing a beer or soda, 4.24
spaghetti effect, 1.122
video of me, The Daily Planet show
spoon flipping into mug, 1.271
standing eggs on end, 1.138, 1.138
straw picking up a glass, 1.234
straw, sucking through a long, 2.41
styrofoam cups, 5.8
table wobble, 1.268
tapping bottle prank, dramatic gushing, 2.76
thermal stress to open wine bottle, 4.113
Tia Maria wormy action, 2.89
tonic water fluorescence, 5.19
toothpick, one passing through another, 1.251
toothpick design with water, 2.170
transferring a steel ball between beer mats, 1.232
tying a ring hitch, 1.223
using glug-glug to clear beer foam, 2.120
vortex beer bottle, 2.168
water and the disappearing cigarette, 1.57
water from nowhere, 6.166
water stream electrostatic deflection, 5.57
wine, evaporation patterns, 2.193
wineglass, musical, 3.43, 3.43
video of me, Cleveland State University
wobbling coin or bottle, 1.110
yard of ale and beer boot, how to drink from, 2.120, 2.120
Pulfrich illusion of depth with motion, 7.23
Pumpkins
optics of Halloween, 6.157
parachuting, 1.158
Pupil diameter, 7.28, 7.28
Purkinje’s blue arcs, visual, 7.44
Purple light, twilight, 6.145
Purring
animals, 3.8
stroboscopic effect due to eye oscillations, 7.8
Putting in golf,
escape from hole ("golfer's dilemma"), 1.36
sounds, 3.83
Putt-putt boats (toys), 4.52, 4.52
video of me, The Daily Planet show
Putt-putt golf, 1.75
Puzzle
diffracted alphabet, 6.155
floating orientation of bars and open containers, 2.44
hinged mirrors, 6.156
lead bar in boat floating in a pool, 2.43
mirror maze, 6.66, 6.66
water and block, 2.164
Pyke, Geoffrey, plans for iceberg aircraft carrier, 2.160
Pykrete, 2.160
Pyramid
Egyptian, construction, 1.64
Mayan, echo, 3.65, 3.65
Q
Quantum physics, magnetism, 5.43
Quicksand
grain, 2.104
sand, 2.102, 2.102
video of me, Newton's Apple show
Quiet zones near explosions, 3.18
Quarks, 6.161
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