Physics buskers enjoy a busy weekend

The Institute of Physics

17 June 2008

Physics Buskers

The Institute of Physics (IOP)’s team of physics buskers attended both the Bradford Mela and the East of England Show over the weekend (13-15 June), where visitors of all ages had a go at their physics tricks.

While most visitors to the East of England Show (13 – 15 June), held near Peterborough, expected to see livestock, Shire horses and British food, many were pleasantly surprised to find the Physics in the Field team at the event. 

Up at the Bradford Mela (14 – 15 June), held in Peel Park, Bradford, the buskers set up their stall and delighted hundreds of spectators with their balloon kebabs, tornadoes in bottles, and gravity-defying, upside-down cups of water.

Here is a video of the team in action:

Physics tricks are hand-held demonstrations using things that can be found at home. Some are messy, some are noisy, but all of them are crowd pleasing and help illustrate different areas of physics. Visitors to the festivals are encouraged to find out how to do the tricks themselves and give on-the-spot performances to their friends and families.

At a Physics in the Field event last year, one visitor revealed, “I saw things that you wouldn't normally see and it was cool”.  Another commented, “We have seen amazing wonders. Balloons that don’t pop! Storms in bottles!”

Liz Jeavans, outreach officer at IOP, said, “It’s brilliant working at events like the Bradford Mela because the visitors are really interested in what we are doing and want to find out more.

“What is really satisfying is when you show someone a trick, and they relate it to something they have come across in everyday life – but just hadn’t thought of it as physics before.”

And for those visitors who can’t get enough, all the tricks performed by the team, including making balloon kebabs, launching Alka Seltzer rockets or turning pints of water upside down over a friend’s head without drenching them, are available on www.physics.org with full explanations.

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