Jump to content
  • entries
    40
  • comments
    37
  • views
    16,079
goalkeeper0

Entry posted by goalkeeper0

733 views

 Share

As senior year comes to a close, brain space previously reserved for memorizing lists of vocab or challenging physics concepts has been filled with plots for senior pranks, senior runs, and so on. As of now, our senior runs have been quite brief, but I remember the senior runs of the past being both long and successful. As a freshman, I remember being caught in the hallway as I heard the shouts and footsteps of hundreds of seniors coming my way. Senior runs, or more like senior stampedes, can be heard from far away which is good so that small, tiny freshmen have time to hide in the bathrooms and not get trampled. Potentially, one caught in the middle of a senior run could get seriously bruised and battered. Stampedes are dangerous. I touched a bit upon stampede physics in my Black Friday post a very long time ago, but I found some more information about how physicists are studying crowd dynamics.

Physicists look at fluids to help them understand crowd dynamics. Physicists have found that crowds behave as fluids with three different types of flows. The first type of flow is laminar flow. Laminar flow is a steady flow which resembles crowd dynamics when an area is undersaturated with people. The next type of flow is stop-and-go. Stop-and-go flow causes spurts of people to leave an area at a time. Waves are created in the crowd. The worst flow type is turbulent flow. Turbulent flow is the result of pressure buildups. Turbulent flow leads to "shock waves" which can push people up to 3 meters forward.

I'd say that most senior runs do not reach the turbulent flow stage. However, given the velocity of the crowd, and the combined mass of the people in the crowd, these runs can definitely cause damage. The momentum of the stampede is enormous, and tiny freshmen are wise to seek shelter in nearby restrooms.

http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/2013/01/brazil-nightclub-stampede-trampling.html

 Share

1 Comment

Recommended Comments

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×

Terms of Use

The pages of APlusPhysics.com, Physics in Action podcasts, and other online media at this site are made available as a service to physics students, instructors, and others. Their use is encouraged and is free of charge. Teachers who wish to use materials either in a classroom demonstration format or as part of an interactive activity/lesson are granted permission (and encouraged) to do so. Linking to information on this site is allowed and encouraged, but content from APlusPhysics may not be made available elsewhere on the Internet without the author's written permission.

Copyright Notice

APlusPhysics.com, Silly Beagle Productions and Physics In Action materials are copyright protected and the author restricts their use to online usage through a live internet connection. Any downloading of files to other storage devices (hard drives, web servers, school servers, CDs, etc.) with the exception of Physics In Action podcast episodes is prohibited. The use of images, text and animations in other projects (including non-profit endeavors) is also prohibited. Requests for permission to use such material on other projects may be submitted in writing to info@aplusphysics.com. Licensing of the content of APlusPhysics.com for other uses may be considered in the future.

APlusPhysics Books

APlusPhysics Books

×
×
  • Create New...