Why Mosh Pits Make For A Good Physics Lesson
Actual Mosh Pit Look! It's the physics of atoms of gas. kimirootsabove / FlickrHeavy metal music helps researchers better understand panicked crowds. Have moshers been taking physics lessons? While swarms of sweaty, raging humans might look like anarchy, physicists at Cornell say heavy metal pits actually follow a certain logic, and it is similar to that of gaseous particles. That insight could be used to help predict how crowds behave in emergencies, which, in turn, could help generate better evacuation strategies--ones that even save lives. Moshing and gas science mixed when Jesse Silverberg, a Cornell graduate physics student and mosh aficionado, brought his girlfriend to her first heavy metal concert. Amid the booziness and ear-ravaging music, Silverberg was struck by the possibility that moshers' slam-happy moves bore a resemblance to collective movements found in nature, such as those of bird flocks and schools of fish. To study his idea, Silverberg and...