Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Harry Potter and Physcis

First off, let me alert you that if you haven't seen the new Harry Potter movie yet, you might not want to read on. I'm not going to reveal any huge plot twists or anything (and really, they're in the books anyway...), it will actually be quite insignificant, but if you like to be completely, totally, wonderfully surprised when you watch movies, this would be a good time to stop reading. Also, if, upon reading the title, you think that I might be about to discuss the intricate physical phenomena of levitation, apparition, spells, charms, etc., I'm sorry to inform you that you will be disappointed. There is just one small part that caught my eye...

So I saw HP6 this week, and it was great! I went with some friends who are also a little obsessed (in a good way!) with the books and movies, so it was lots of fun.

Right, so, on to the physics.

At one point near the beginning of the film, the Death Eaters are flying around London, causing havoc here and there. Nasty people, those Death Eaters. At one point, they began flying next to a suspension bridge that spans the Thames. The bridge started swaying back and forth and twisting, more and more violently until it snapped and collapsed. As this was happening, it reminded me of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster:



(there are a great many more videos on youtube about this bridge collapse, but I just chose the shortest one :) )

Basically (according to my physics professor), the wind gusting through the narrows (down the river, hitting the bridge), was not only powerful, but the gusts also occurred at a frequency that happened to be a resonance frequency of the bridge. This is the same principle that makes crystal shatter when a loud, high frequency noise (like a soprano's high note, lol) is sung. Instead of a glass, though, the bridge itself was resonating, and the strain caused it's collapse. Which is pretty cool, despite the destruction that it caused (for those who may be wondering, no person was killed or injured on the Tacoma Narrows collapse).

Anyway, so while watching the HP, and seeing the Death Eaters' flight around the bridge cause it to tremble, twist, bend, and eventually collapse, my thoughts wandered slightly, and I thought:

"Wow, those Death Eaters must be flying at exactly the resonance frequency of the bridge!"

There is no denying it now... I am a physics geek.

1 comment:

Teresa said...

Wow Lizzie.. That is all I can say.. Wow.. and bless your heart. hehe