Rules of Physics
A minute ago I accidentally dropped three odd-shaped objects on the floor. If they had bounced in any of three directions, they would have encountered a hard flat surface and stopped conveniently near my feet. If they bounced in the fourth direction, they would be seeking shelter in a hard-to-get area and I would need a large pole, a search and rescue dog, and the Cirque de Soleil to get to them.
All three odd-shaped objects ran for cover in the hard-to-get spot. I am considering leaving them there forever.
This accidental experiment demonstrates one of the rules of physics you rarely hear about: Dropped objects seek the point of least accessibility. You can try it yourself by dropping an orange on the ground anywhere near a parked automobile. The orange will take off toward that parked car like a rabbit in a slingshot, even if the parked car is at the top of a steep hill. The law of gravity does not apply in these situations.
Another rarely discussed aspect of physics is the law of misplaced keys. When you can’t readily find your keys in the house, you will not later discover them on top of some obvious surface such as a countertop or a dresser. Nor will they be in the pocket of whatever clothing you recently wore. Keys scamper to their hiding places whenever their owner becomes preoccupied doing something else, such as chasing an orange that is heading toward a parked car. In that moment of inattentiveness, the keys make a beeline for the least likely location that anyone would ever look. For example, you might find them months later in a jar of mayonnaise in your cupboard, or taped to the back of an old-fashioned toilet in an Italian restaurant down the street.
Do you have any other rules of physics to share?
All three odd-shaped objects ran for cover in the hard-to-get spot. I am considering leaving them there forever.
This accidental experiment demonstrates one of the rules of physics you rarely hear about: Dropped objects seek the point of least accessibility. You can try it yourself by dropping an orange on the ground anywhere near a parked automobile. The orange will take off toward that parked car like a rabbit in a slingshot, even if the parked car is at the top of a steep hill. The law of gravity does not apply in these situations.
Another rarely discussed aspect of physics is the law of misplaced keys. When you can’t readily find your keys in the house, you will not later discover them on top of some obvious surface such as a countertop or a dresser. Nor will they be in the pocket of whatever clothing you recently wore. Keys scamper to their hiding places whenever their owner becomes preoccupied doing something else, such as chasing an orange that is heading toward a parked car. In that moment of inattentiveness, the keys make a beeline for the least likely location that anyone would ever look. For example, you might find them months later in a jar of mayonnaise in your cupboard, or taped to the back of an old-fashioned toilet in an Italian restaurant down the street.
Do you have any other rules of physics to share?
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