Extended Index
The Flying Circus of Physics,
second edition
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A
Abandoned mines
coal fires, 5.51
frost circles and the danger of sinkholes, 4.96
Absorption of light, white becoming dark, 6.69
Acceleration records, 1.11, 1.11
Accidents
aerosol spray fires, 5.12
airplane crash landing on Hudson River, 1.218
airplane running out of fuel in flight, 1.18
airplane, sucked from through window, 2.158
avalanche balloon, 2.109, 2.109
bridge collapse,
house load, 1.214
I-95, 1.71, 1.71
Tacoma Bridge, 2.4, 2.4
bunk-bed death, 1.260
camel-car collision, 1.215
carbon dioxide eruption, Lake Nyos, 2.55
car crashes, 1.12
cars sliding on ice, 1.202
cat, long fall, 1.51, 1.51
children dying in closed cars, 4.84
construction cranes falling down, 1.206
current, dangerous levels, 5.23
dust explosions, 5.11, 5.11
Empire State Building, airplane crash, 1.54
exploding manholes, 4.109
falling tree propelled backward, 1.69
feline high-rise syndrome, 1.51, 1.51
gasoline station fires, 5.9, 5.9
gurney fire in hospital (gurney forms a capacitor), 5.16, 5.16
head-banging, detached retina, 1.11
head-on car collision, 1.12
head-on train collision, 1.13
Hindenberg disaster, 5.15
Houdini's death, punch to stomach, 1.46
hospital gurney fire, 5.16, 5.16
hot coals, walking on
description, account of my burns, 4.8
news accounts of severe burns, 4.9
Lake Nyos lethal carbon dioxide eruption, 2.55
Lake Peigneur suddenly draining into mine, giant vortex, 2.23
lead, molten, damage, 4.7
lightning -- people, cows, sheep, 5.2
liquid nitrogen damage, 4.6, 4.6
magnetic search for bullet, President Garfield, 5.41
manhole explosions, 4.109
methane explosion, 5.4
mine explosions due to lightning, 5.4
moose-car collision, 1.215
Nimitz Freeway collapse, 2.103
oil tanker, sparking and explosion, 5.13
panic escape, 2.105
pedestrian throw by car, 1.215
powder explosions, electrical sparks, 5.11, 5.11
quicksand
grain, 2.104
sand, 2.102, 2.102
video of me, Newton's Apple show
rail crossing accidents, 7.54
railroad tanker collapse, 4.54
rattlesnake, still lethal after death, 4.1, 4.1
rear-end car collision, whiplash injury, 1.14
rockfalls, 2.116, 2.116
rogue waves, 2.64
shooting yourself down, airplane runs into its own bullets, 2.155
ski jump crash, 2.7
skywalk collapse, hotel, 1.47
snorkeling dangers, 2.53, 2.53
spin test explosion, 1.88
submarine escape, 2.54
submarine explosion, 1.126
video, calculations
submerged car escape, 2.189
sucked from airplane through window, 2.158
sugar plant explosion, 5.11
surgery burns, fires, explosions, 5.25, 5.26
Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, 2.4, 2.4
take-off illusion, aircraft carrier, 1.17
tattoos and MRI, 5.40
thrown through windshield, 1.253
tire explosions, 4.114
tongue stuck in bottle, 4.73
train jackknifing, 1.72
train size illusion, danger of, 7.59
truck falls on car, 1.229
truck fast turning, 1.239
tug-of-war, giant, finger loss, 1.173
tunnel fire, 4.95
turkeys, fire while cooking, 4.80
upward streamers knocking down football players, 5.2
urinating onto electrified subway rail, 5.24
vacuum exposure, 4.5
vortex, giant, as lake drains into mine, 2.23
window cleaner fall, 1.49
Acoustical mirror
bats locating
insects near vegetation, 3.24
flowers, 3.25
wartime detection of enemy aircraft, 3.85
Acoustic resonance bar trick, 3.43
Acoustic sculpture, 3.86
Acoustic shadows, 3.19, 3.19
Adhesive tape glow, 5.17, 5.17
Adherence by water, 1.57, 1.57
video of me, Cleveland State University video series
Aeolian tones, 3.2
Aerosol can, flame from, 5.12
Afterimage and negative afterimage, 7.15, 7.15, 7.16
Ahlborg, Nadia, falling through Earth's center, 1.141
Aikido, 1.55, 1.111
Airbag, prolonging the stopping during a collision, 1.46
Air-mix machine, 2.162
Air traffic controller’s windows, 6.63, 6.79
Aircraft
air traffic controller window optics, 6.63
bullets, airplane runs into its own, 2.155
contrails, 2.20
crash into wall, 1.12
crash landing on Hudson River, 1.218
discharging, 5.29
g-loc (loss of consciousness) due to rapid acceleration, 2.46
pilot vision with only one eye, 7.9
protuberances on stealth aircraft absorb radar, 6.117
retroreflectors behind enemy lines, World War II, 6.71
running out of fuel while in flight, 1.18
shooting yourself down, 2.155
shock front, 6.100
sucked from an airplane through a window, 2.158
volcano sandblasting pilot's window, 6.105
Aircraft carrier of ice, 2.160
Aircraft carrier, takeoff illusion, 1.17
Air bag, 1.46
Air blast, 3.58
Airplane, physics in an
bright and dark bands on wings, 6.100, 6.100
bright scratches in window, scattering, 6.105
cloud appearance with polarizing sunglasses, 6.127
cloud bow, 6.127
cloud-contrast bow, 6.10
cloud shadows, 6.37
contrail dark line, 6.44
fast pouring by flight attendant, 2.194
floaters in field of view, 7.5
glory, 6.46
heiligenschien, 6.44
multiple images, double-pane windows, 6.79
optical refraction near wing edge, 6.91
pop can stability, 1.149
pouring water in inverted airplane, 2.197
retroreflectors on traffic signs, 6.70
Aldrete, Gregory, cloth body armor, 1.130
Ale, 2.120
Alexander the Great, cloth body armor, 1.130
Alexandria harbor, wave diffraction seen by Google Earth, 2.165
Alexandrite effect, gem's color shifts with change in lighting, 6.96
Alice in Wonderland, falling through tunnel through Earth's center, 1.141
Alligator death roll, conservation of angular momentum, 1.209
Alpine glow, mountain top illuminated with twilight purple light, 6.145
Aluminum, foil and tooth, electric tingling, 5.27
Amplifier, electric guitar distortion in rock, 5.45
Amusement park,
bodiless head illusion, 6.62
carnival bottle swing, 1.177
Ferris wheel, 1.19, 1.19
flea circus, 1.200
laser shoot-out game, reflection game, 6.67
roller coaster, scariest car, 1.19, 1.19
Rotor, 1.19
vertical coaster, 1.19, 1.19
vertical fall, 1.19
Anableps anableps, vision in air and water simultaneously, 7.19
Anamorphic art, 6.77, 6.77
Ancient constructions,
Alexandria harbor, wave diffraction seen by Google Earth, 2.165
Easter Island statues, erecting, 1.62
Echoes and acoustic resonance at ancient sites, 3.65-3.66
Egyptian pyramids, erecting, 1.64
Mayan pyramid bird-like echoes, 3.65, 3.65
Newgrange
acoustics, 3.66
solstice sunbeam penetrating to inner chamber, 6.23, 6.23
rock-art echoes, 3.66, 3.66
Stonehenge, erecting, 1.63
Temple of Kukulkan, echoes, 3.65, 3.65
Anderson, Paul, lifting huge weight, 1.41, 1.41
Andes glow, 5.21
Angel, Criss, magic,
floating between two buildings, 1.210
walking on water, 6.89
Angular momentum
alligator death roll, 1.209
astronaut maneuvers in space, 1.97
ballet tour jete, 1.100
bullet spinning
in air, 1.112
on ice, 1.236
cards, thrown, 2.10, 2.10
cat, falling, 1.51, 1.51
diving maneuvers, 1.97
football throw by quarterback, 1.112
quadruple somersault, first time, aerial acrobat, 1.98
Animals
alligator
death roll, 1.209
gastroliths, 2.49
anableps anableps vision in water and air simultaneously, 7.19
ant
desert navigation, 6.128, 6.128, 7.38
electrical effects, 5.33
nest ventilation, 2.22
aphid and liquid marbles, 2.94
armadillo huddling, 4.4, 4.4
basilisk lizard, run on water, 2.42, 2.58, 6.89
bats
acoustic mirror effect, 3.24
detection of insect, 3.24, 3.24
detection of flower, 3.25
bees
electrical effects, 5.32
navigation, 7.38
thermal attack on hornet, 4.3, 4.3
Van Gogh painting, 7.54
beetle
bombardier, aiming its acid stream with coanda effect, 2.50, 2.50
brilliant white beetle due to internal structure of scales, 6.158
click, leaping, 1.40
fog basking, condensing water on hydrophilic bumps, 4.67
Hercules beetle, color shifting, 6.15
opal coloration, diffraction, 6.95
remote detection of forest fire by infrared light, 4.2
scarabeid, colors due to surface structure, 6.115
tiger beetle colors due to surface structure, 6.115
whirl-a-gig (gyrinid) colors, diffraction grating, 6.115
big horn sheep
head-to-head collisions, 1.10
rock climbing, 1.60
bird
blue jay, color due to surface structure, 6.15
droppings (poop)
danger of electric flashover in power lines, 5.22
effect on surface wetting, 2.98
flocking, 2.166
spinning in place on water surface, 2.27
vee formation in flying, 2.18, 2.18
bullfrog croaking through eardrums, 3.11
bull riding, 1.92, 1.92
buoyancy adjustment with stomach stones, 2.49
butterfly
colors due to surface structure, 6.115
vision, 6.117, 6.117
camels, men jumping over in a contest, 1.38
canary, color due to selective absorption, 6.115
cat
charged, 5.8
chimney climbing, 1.60
falling, 1.51, 1.51
purring, 3.8
rotating, 1.97
caterpillar, colors of tent due to surface structures, 6.115
chiton, mineral eyes, 7.51
cicadas, sounds of, 3.14
cow magnet, 5.43
cow tipping, 1.266
cricket chirps, 3.12
crocodile
death roll, 1.209
floating adjustment with stomach stones, 2.49
vision, 7.18
dinosaur
blood pressure, 2.47
sound, 3.9, 3.9
stomach stones (gastroliths), 2.49
swimming sauropods, 2.48
tail flick, 3.59
dog, charged, 5.8
dolphin
bow wave riding, 2.70, 2.70
ring vortex production, 2.40
duck
feathers keep it dry, 2.97
wake pattern, 2.68
eel, electric, 5.28
elephant
long distance calls (refraction), 3.10
snorkeling, 2.53, 2.53
fish
Anableps anableps, 7.19
archer fish, 6.85
electric fish, 5.28
fisherman seeing a fish, 6.84, 6.126
fish seeing fisherman, 6.85
lens, 7.19
flea circus, 1.200
fly
in gun blast, 2.185
polarized light, 6.126
frog
brain cooling by eye evaporation, 4.61
bullfrog croaking through eardrums, 3.11
magnetic levitating, 5.48
transparent, 6.90
tree-cavity sounds, 3.13
gecko
adhesion, 5.35
vision, 7.33
giraffe, blood pressure, 2.47
gyrinid beetles, 6.115
Hercules beetle, color shifting, 6.115
hermit crab vision, 7.42
herring, colors due to surface structures, 6.115
hornet, killed thermally by bees, 4.3, 4.3
insects
colors due to surface structures, 6.115
plumes, flying in warm updrafts, 4.93
polarized light attracting flies to windows, 6.126
water walking, 2.85, 2.85
jumping beans, 1.39, 1.39
lion roaring, 3.8
lizards
rain harvesting, 2.82
walking on water, 2.42
lobster, spiny, sound production, 3.12
mollusk, mineral eyes, 7.51
monkey colors due to surface structures, 6.115
moth
jumping beans, 1.39, 1.39
vision, 6.117, 6.117
penguin
huddling, 4.4, 4.4
leaping, 1.197
vision, 7.18
voices (beat frequencies), 3.15
platypus, electric field detection, 5.56
polar bear hollow hairs, 4.58
polarized light detection
ants, 6.128, 6.128
flies, 6.126
porpoise, bow wave riding, 2.70, 2.70
prairie dog burrow ventilation, 2.22
rattlesnake, lethal even after death, 4.1, 4.1
scorpion, wave detection, 1.127, 1.127
sand worms of Dune, 1.224
scallops eyes, 7.17
sheep
black, in desert, 4.59
collisions of big-horn sheep, 1.10
rock climbing, 1.60
shorebirds prey harvesting, 2.83
shrimp
fatal acoustic wave
energy storage and release, 1.40
wave, 3.50, 3.50
plumes, 4.93
snakes,
clinging, 1.243
gliding, 2.12
infrared detection by, 4.1, 4.1
slithering, 1.233
squirrels, 4.1
spider web,
colors, 6.105
oscillations revealing presence of insect, 1.123
squid, bacteria illuminates its shadow, 6.90
squirrel versus snake, 4.1
termite mound temperature regulation, 4.83
toad, catapult-like propulsion of tongue, 1.27
turtles, self-righting, 1.274
water striders, 2.80, 2.85, 2.85
whale,
bubble nets, 2.79
sound production, 3.16
whirl-a-gig beetle, 6.115
woodpecker, collisions and brain, 1.10
Antenna oscillation, 1.183
Antibubbles, 2.124
Anticounterfeiting
color-shifting inks, 6.119, 6.119
optically variable devices, 6.109
Ants
electrical effects, 5.33
navigation, 6.128, 6.128, 7.38
nest ventilation, 2.22
Aphids, 2.94
Apple
pressure under a pile, 2.140
sounds of fresh versus mealy, 3.52
speckle on, 6.124
Aquatic insects
gyrinid beetles, 6.115
polarized light detection, 6.126, 6.126, 7.38
water striders, 2.80, 2.85
Arago spot, 6.151, 6.151
Arch formation in granular flow, 2.105, 2.107
Archaeology, magnetic effects, 5.39
Archer fish, 6.85
Archery, 1.131, 7.9
Archimedes death ray, 6.81
Architecture
see Ancient Structures (above),
see Buildings (below)
Katrina Hurricane, New Orleans, 2.156
Leaning Tower of Pisa, 1.67, 1.67
Armadillo huddling, 4.4, 4.4
Armor, body, 1.130, 1.130
Arrow
catching, 7.9
stopped by fabric, 1.130, 1.130
Art
acoustic sculpture, 3.86
anamorphic art, 6.77, 6.77
bees and, 7.54
Blue Meanies in The Yellow Submarine, 7.22
depth in oil paintings, 7.14
glaze, perception of depth, 7.14
glossy velvet and varnish, 6.131
impressionism, 7.10
kaleidoscope, 6.65
Lotto's Husband and Wife, perspective controversy, 6.76
Mach bands, 7.25
Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 6.75, 6.75
Missing moon in Munch painting, 6.61
Mona Lisa's smile, 7.31
Munch's Girls on the Pier, 6.61
Munch's The Scream, 6.8
mural magnetism, Earth's field migration, 5.39
museum glass, reflections, 6.88
op art, 7.13, 7.13
Paleolithic art and drug-induced phosphenes, 7.7
pictures become crooked, 1.147
pointillistic paintings, 7.11
polarized light, 6.129
poured, 2.188
Renaissance art and optical projectors, 6.76
Rower, Holten, poured art, 2.188
Seddon's Pyramids of Gizeh, 6.15
skin softness, optics, 6.133
traffic control, anamorphic sign, 6.77
van Gogh's Red Vineyard at Arles, 6.47, 7.6
van Gogh's Starry Night, 7.6
van Gogh's Sunflowers, 7.54
Waterhouse's I am half sick of shadows, 6.75
Wigan's miniature art, 5.8
Aspen trees, colors, 6.121
Astronaut
maneuvering, 1.97
vacuum exposure, 4.5, 4.5
Atlatl, (weapon), 1.27
Atmospheric physics
alpenglow (Alpine glow), 6.145
art, 6.15
auroras
formation, 5.46
sounds, 3.80
Bishop's ring (solar halo, volcano caused), 6.9
blue moon, 6.50, 6.50
bright nights, meteor showers, 6.148
Christmas tree lights at distance, 6.17
city lights at distance, 6.17, 6.17
cloud
brightness, 6.58
iridescent, 6.49
nacreous (mother of pearl), 6.144
noctilucent (luminous night clouds), 6.59
red, 6.6
silver lining, 6.58
cloud bow, 6.127
cloud-contrast bow, 6.10
corona, 6.47
crown flash, 6.27
earthshine, 6.43, 6.43
green flash, 6.24
haze colors, 6.16
halos and sun dogs, 6.34, 6.35
horizon
distance, 6.18
white, 6.5
ice blink (maps in sky), 6.20, 6.20
line across distant rain, 6.147
luminous, large areas, moving across sky, 6.149
mirage
Fata Morgana, 6.30
hillingar effect, 6.30
hafgerdingar effect, 6.30
Marfa, Texas, 6.30
oasis, 6.28
roadway, 6.28, 6.28
wall, 6.29
water monsters, mermaids, mermen, 6.30
Moon
blue, 6.50, 6.50
red in lunar eclipse, 6.26
moonbow, 6.2, 6.2
mountain colors, 6.6
noctilucent clouds (luminous night clouds), 6.59
pillar below Sun or Moon, 6.35
rainbow
first and second order, 6.1, 6.1
third and fourth order, 6.1
rays of Buddha (bright and dark shafts), 6.15
searchlight beam abrupt end, 6.22
shadow bands, eclipse, 6.33
shimmy, optical, 6.32
sky
brightness instead being dark, 6.4
colors,
Australian red sky, 6.5
blue daytime sky, 6.5
blue enhancement at sunset, 6.13
dark patch and rosy border at sunset, 6.14
green sky (green thunderstorms), 6.12
nighttime sky color, 6.5
overcast sky color, 6.19
red sunsets, 6.5
solar eclipse color, 6.11
volcanic coloring, 6.8
white horizon, 6.5
maps in the sky, 6.20, 6.20
polarization
ant navigation, 6.128, 6.128, 7.38
honeybee navigation, 6.128
Viking navigation, 6.127
way to colorfully detect, 6.127
ripples in the sky, 6.146
shape, perceived, 7.2
star twinkle, 6.32
Sun
distortion when low, 6.25
green flash, 6.21
Atomic bomb shock wave, 3.54
Audience scanning, lasers used in rock concerts, 6.164
Auroras
formation, 5.46
sounds, 3.80
Australian red dawn, 6.5
Avalanche balloon, 2.109, 2.109
Avalanche
grains, 2.106, 2.107
snow, 2.114
Avalanche victim, sounds, 3.71