L
Labyrinths, mirror, 6.66, 6.66
Lake freezing, 4.23
Lake Nyos, 2.55
LaMothe, Henri, diving, 1.49
Lancaster bomber, 1.94
Landing on water, 1.218
Landslides, 2.115
Langmuir circulations, 2.111, 2.137
Lassos, 1.84
Laundry brightener, 6.137, 6.159
Laundry, drying of hanging, 4.55
Lava lamps, 4.102
Lead, molten, 4.6, 4.6, 4.7
Leidenfrost effect, 4.6
Le pastis, 6.113
Leaning tower in Pisa, 1.67, 1.67
Leaves, colors of aspen, 6.121
Lee, Bruce, 1.45
Lego blocks, 1.66
Leidenfrost effect, 4.6 - 4.8, 4.6, 5.30
Length contraction, relativistic, 1.162
Levitation
magic trick, 1.210
magnetic, 5.48
Lewis and Clark, 3.57
Lichtenberg figures, 5.2, 5.18
Licking cold pipes, 4.26, 4.26
Lifting bottle, pub trick, 1.57
Lightning
and animals, 5.2
and lodestones, 5.38
and people, 5.2
and sprites, 5.6
and trees, 5.4
and vehicles, 5.3
ball and bead, 5.5
cause, 5.1
explosion, mine, 5.4
rods, 5.7
strike to car, 5.3, 5.3
Line across distant rain, 6.147
Line across water, 2.148
Liquid bridges, 2.86, 2.112
Liquid marbles, 2.94
Liquid nitrogen, use of, 4.6, 4.6, 4.31
Liquid rope coils, 2.62
Little Prince, 1.157
Lizards, rain harvesting, 2.82
Lizards, walking on water, 2.42
Lodestones, 5.38
Lone Ranger theme music, 3.86
Long jump, 1.38
Longitudinal dunes, 2.111
Lottery cheating, 2.162
Lotus effect, 2.93
Lowell, Percival, 7.4
Lunar eclipse, 6.26
Lung squeeze, 2.53
M
Macarney, Scott, 2.7
Mach bands, 7.25
Maddison, Robbie, jump, 1.81
Magic tricks, 6.89
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 5.40
Magnus effect, 2.14-2.17
Mandrill monkey, colors, 6.115
Manet, Edouard, 6.75
Maps in clouds, 6.20
Marangoni effect, 2.88
Matchstick bar trick, 5.8
Maxwell’s spot, 7.45
Maze, mirror, 6.66, 6.66
Mayan pyramid echo, 3.65, 3.65
McCartney, Paul, 3.86
Meandering rivers, 2.26, 2.26
Meandering thin streams, 2.149
Meat colors, 4.45, 6.135
Meringue insulation, 4.98
Meringue pies, 5.36
Mermaids and mermen, 6.30
Merry-go-round, 1.19
Meteor strike, 1.37, 1.37
Methane explosion, 5.4
Microwave oven, heating in, 4.48
Middle Eastern coffee, 2.91
Milk, optical properties, 6.61, 6.111, 6.124
Miller Lite vortex bottle, 2.168
Mines
abandoned, 4.96
explosion, 5.4
Miniature golf, 1.75
Minnaert, Marcel, 6.50
Mirage, 6.28 – 6.30, 6.28
Mirrors illuminating town, 6.82
Mirror in space, 6.80, 6.82
Mirror labyrinths, 6.66, 6.66
Mirrors, images in multiple, 6.64 – 6.66, 6.68
Mirrors
one-way, 6.72
maze, 6.66, 6.66
rear-view, 6.73
reflections, 6.60, 6.60, 6.64-6.66, 6.68
side-view, 6.74
Missing fundamental effect, 3.29
Mist, champagne and soda, 4.24
MIT, 6.23, 6.23
MJS, 1.39
Mobile phones, heating, 4.101
Mohole, 1.141
Mohorovicic, A., 1.141
Moire patterns, 7.12
Molenaar, D., honey, yogurt, 2.159
Molten lead, 4.6, 4.6
Mona Lisa’s smile, 7.31
Monet, Claude, 7.10
Moon
color, 6.26, 6.50, 6.50
face, 1.186
illusion, 7.1
madness, 1.139
seeing dark part, 6.43, 6.43
Moonbow, 6.2
Moose throw, 1.215
Morning glory climbing, 1.206
Morpho butterfly colors, 6.115
Moth eyes, 6.117, 6.117
Motion illusion, 7.13, 7.13
Motorcycles, 1.80-1.81, 1.81
Motorcycle Ball of Death, 1.211
Mount St. Helens, sound waves, 3.18
Mountain colors, 6.6
Mountain shadows, 6.36
Mpemba effect, 4.12
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), 5.40, 5.40
Mud cracks, 4.68
Munch, Edvard, 6.8, 6.61
Muons, 7.46
Murmuring brooks, 3.45
Museum glass, 6.88
Musical echoes, 3.65, 3.65
Musical roads, 3.86
Mushroom catapulting, 2.99
Mushroom clouds, 4.76
N
Nacre, optics, 6.116
Nacreous clouds, 6.144
Nails, bed of, 1.56, 1.56
Negative lift, 2.1
Negative afterimage, 7.15
Negative pressure, 2.136
Negative strike, lightning, 5.4
Neon spreading, 7.13
Nestea grain behavior, 2.106
Neutron decay, 6.161
Newgrange megalithic mound, 3.66, 6.23, 6.23
Niagara Falls, falling over, 1.195
Night brightness, 6.148
Noctilucent clouds, 6.59
Noise enhancing sound, 3.31
Noise-induced hearing loss, 3.30
Noisy neighbors, 3.68
Non-Newtonian fluids, 2.58, 2.58
Nose blocking the view, 7.21
Nude in shower optics, 6.88, 6.88
O
Oasis mirage, 6.28, 6.28
Ocean brightness, 6.140
Ocean colors, 6.38
Oil paintings, depth in, 7.14
Oil fire, 4.80, 4.80
Oil slicks, colors, 6.114
Oil stains on road, 2.151
Oil, calming waves, 2.73, 2.73
Oil, patterns in heated, 2.90
Olive in martini, 2.25
Ommatidia, 6.117
One-inch punch, 1.45
One-wheel vehicle, 1.219
One-way mirrors, 6.72
Op art, 7.13, 7.13
Opals, 6.95, 6.95
Opal-like coloring of beetle, 6.95
Opposition brightening, 6.44
Optically variable graphics, 6.109
Orchard spraying, freeze prevention, 4.15
Orchestra pit acoustics, 3.61
Ornament reflections, 6.68, 7.28
Oscillating of head, 1.133
Oscillating pole, 1.118, 1.196
Ostwald ripening, 2.77, 4.70
Otoacoustic emissions, 3.28
Ouzo effect, optics, 6.113
Overtone singing, 3.6
Oxbow lake, 2.26
P
Paint brushes, 2.95
Pan, colors on cooking, 6.114
Panic escape, 2.105
Paper ball, 1.145, 1.145
Parachuting, 1.50, 1.55, 1.158
Patterned ground via freezing, 4.29
Patterns in melting snow, 4.39
Peachy skin, 6.133
Pearls, optics, 6.116
Pedestrian flow, 2.105,
Pedestrian throw, 1.215
Peeling tape glow, 5.17, 5.17
Pencil, 1.69, 1.70, 6.99
Pendulum, 1.115-1.121, 1.150, 1.180
Penguins
huddling, 4.4
leaping, 1.197
vision, 7.18
voices, 3.15
Pepper’s ghost, 6.62
Percolators, 4.51
Permafrost, sounds in, 3.79
Petals, color saturation, 6.120
Phantom accidents, 1.3
Phonograph record, optics, 6.107
Phosphenes, 7.7
Photonic crystal, 6.95
Physics death roll, 1.209
Picture becoming crooked, 1.147, 1.147
Pine needle sounds, 3.2
Pingos, 4.27
Pinhole cameras, 6.102
Pinhole images of Sun, 6.103
Pinhole reading, 7.33
Pinning, 2.84, 291, 2.91
Pinspeck cameras, 6.102
Pipes, bursting by ice, 4.25
Pisa, leaning tower of, 1.67, 1.67
Pit stop, 5.9
Pizzas
cooking, 4.47
eating hot, 4.42
tossing, 1.222
Plants
heat producing, 4.57
iridescent, 6.118
oscillating, 1.132
twining, 1.206
Plastic stretching, 1.142
Plastic surgery apron and bacteria, 5.8
Plastic wrap, electrical effects, 5.34
Platoons, traffic, 1.2
Ploughing boulders, 4.30
Plumbing rumbling, 3.47
Pointillism, 7.11
Poisson spot, 6.151
Polar-bear hairs, 4.58
Polarization and vision, 7.38, 7.39, 6.126
Polarization
print ink, 6.160
skylight, 6.127, 6.128
vision, 6.20
Polarizing sunglasses, 6.126, 6.126
Polar route, radiation during, 7.46
Pole vaulting, 1.26
Pollination, electrical effects, 5.32
Pool shots, 1.74
Pop can stability, 1.149
Popcorn, 4.48, 4.49
Popcorn, cell phone heating, 4.101
Porpoise, bow-riding, 2.70
Positive afterimage, 7.15
Positive strike, lightning, 5.4
Posphor gun sights, 6.161
Potassium-40, isotope, 4.101
Potato stickers, 4.64
Pottery, water cooling by, 4.61
Powder patterns, 2.141
Powders
electrical effects, 5.11, 5.12, 5.18
lack of color, 6.130
oscillating, 2.108
Power outage, solar effects, 5.47
Prairie dog, 2.22
Precariously balanced rocks, 1.125
Precession, 1.104
Pressure regulator, 1.171
Pressure within airplanes, 4.69
Pressure, negative, 2.136
Projecticles, lucky, 1.228
Prommel, sword, 1.198
Pub physics
Stories here at the web site:
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
Blowing out a candle, 2.50
Champagne cork as a morter round, 1.225
Escaping from a cellophane pocket, 2.162
Exchanging water and whiskey, 2.120
Hanging a bottle on the wall, 1.221
Hanging bottle caps on your face, 1.57
Hanging spoons from the nose, 1.57
How water can hide a coin, 6.84
Inverted can of Red Bull, 2.120
Lifting a bottle wiht thumb and one finger, 1.57
Matchstick rocket, 1.168
Moving match sticks on a glass rim, 3.43
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
Slam-freezing a beer or soda, 4.24
Standing eggs on end, 1.138
Tia Maria wormy action, 2.89
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
Yard of ale and beer boot, 2.120
References and links for book stories
1.110, 1.122, 1.138, 1.149
Pulfrich illusion, 7.23
Pumpkins, optics of, 6.157
Pupil diameter, 7.28, 7.28
Purkinje’s blue arcs, 7.44
Purple light, twilight, 6.145
Purring
animals, 3.8
stroboscopic effect, 7.8
Putting in golf, 1.36, 3.83
Putt-putt boats, 4.52
Putt-putt golf, 1.75
Puzzle, water and block, 2.164
Pyke, Geoffrey, 2.160
Pykrete, 2.160
Pyramid, Egyptian, 1.64
Q
Quicksand, 2.102, 2.104
Quiet zones near explosions, 3.18
Quarks, 6.161
Index A-C
Index D-K
Index R-S
Index T-Z
end