What science is rich in interesting facts? Physics! Grade 7 is the time when students begin to study it. So that a serious subject does not seem so boring, we suggest you start your studies with entertaining facts.
Why are there seven colors in the rainbow
Interesting facts about physics can even concern the rainbow! The number of colors in it was determined by Isaac Newton. Aristotle was also interested in such a phenomenon as a rainbow, and its essence was discovered by Persian scholars as early as the 13-14th century. Nevertheless, we are guided by the description of the rainbow, which Newton made in his work “Optics” in 1704. He highlighted the colors with a glass prism.
If you look closely at the rainbow, you can see how the colors smoothly flow from one to another, forming a huge number of shades. And Newton initially identified only five major ones: purple, blue, green, yellow, red. But the scientist had a passion for numerology, and therefore wanted to bring the number of colors to the mystical number "seven". He added two more colors to the description of the rainbow - orange and blue. So it turned out a seven-color rainbow.
Fluid shape
Physics is around us. Interesting facts may surprise us, even if it comes to such a familiar thing as ordinary water. We are all used to thinking that a liquid does not have its own form, even a school physics textbook speaks of this! However, it is not. The natural form of a liquid is a ball.
Eiffel tower height
What is the exact height of the Eiffel Tower? And it depends on the weather! The fact is that the height of the tower varies by as much as 12 centimeters. This is due to the fact that in hot sunny weather the structure heats up, and the temperature of the beams can reach 40 degrees Celsius. And as you know, substances can expand under the influence of high temperature.
Dedicated scientists
Interesting facts about physicists can be not only funny, but also talk about their dedication and devotion to their favorite cause. During the study of the electric arc, physicist Vasily Petrov removed the upper layer of skin on the tips of his fingers in order to feel weak currents.
And Isaac Newton introduced a probe into his own eye to understand the nature of vision. The scientist believed that we see because light presses on the retina.
Quicksand
Interesting facts about physics can help to understand the properties of such an entertaining thing as quicksand. They are a non-Newtonian fluid. A person or an animal cannot completely immerse in quicksand due to its high viscosity, but it is also very difficult to get out of it. To get your foot out of quicksand, you need to make an effort comparable to lifting a car.
You can’t drown in it, but dehydration, sun, tides are a danger to life. If you get into quicksand, you need to lie on your back and wait for help.
Supersonic speed
Do you know what was the first device to break the sound barrier? Plain shepherd's whip. A click frightening cows is nothing more than a clap in overcoming the speed of sound! With a strong blow, the tip of the whip moves so fast that it creates a shock wave in the air. The same thing happens with an airplane flying at supersonic speed.
Photon spheres
Interesting facts about the physics and nature of black holes are such that sometimes it is simply impossible to even imagine the realization of theoretical calculations. As you know, light consists of photons. When photons fall under the influence of black hole gravity, they form arcs, areas where they begin to rotate in orbit. Scientists believe that if you place a person in such a photon sphere, then he will be able to see his own back.
Scotch
It is unlikely that you unwound the tape in a vacuum, but scientists in their laboratories did it. And they found out that when unwinding, there is a visible glow and x-ray radiation. X-ray power is such that it even allows you to take pictures of parts of the body! But why this happens is a mystery. A similar effect can be observed with the destruction of asymmetric bonds in the crystal. But here's the problem - there is no crystalline structure in scotch tape. So scientists will have to come up with another explanation. Do not be afraid to unwind the tape at home - no radiation occurs in the air.
Human experiments
In 1746, the French physicist and, concurrently, the priest Jean-Antoine Nollay investigated the nature of electric current. The scientist decided to find out what is the speed of electric current. That's just how to do it in a monastery ...
The physicist invited 200 monks to the experiment, connected them using iron wires and discharged a battery of newly invented Leyden cans into the poor (they are the first capacitors). All the monks reacted to the blow at the same time, and this made it clear that the speed of the current is extremely high.
The ingenious double
Interesting facts from the life of physicists can give false hopes to underperforming students. Among the negligent students, there is a legend that the famous Einstein was a real two-year-old, had poor knowledge of mathematics and, in general, failed final exams. And nothing, became a world famous scientist. We hasten to disappoint: Albert Einstein began to show remarkable mathematical abilities as a child and had knowledge that far exceeded the school curriculum.
Perhaps, rumors about the poor academic performance of the scientist arose because he did not immediately enter the Zurich Polytechnic. Albert passed the exams in physics and mathematics brilliantly, but in other disciplines he did not score the required number of points. Pulling up knowledge in the necessary subjects, the future scientist successfully passed the exams next year. He was 17 years old.
Birds on the wire
Have you noticed that birds like to sit on wires? But why do not they die from electric shock? The thing is that the body is not a very good vehicle. Bird feet create a parallel connection through which a small current flows. Electricity prefers wire, which is the best conductor. But once a bird touches another element, for example, a grounded support, as electricity rushes through its body, leading to death.
Hatches against fireballs
Interesting facts about physics can be remembered even while watching the city Formula 1 races. Sports cars move at such a high speed that low pressure is created between the bottom of the car and the road surface, which is enough to lift the hatch in the air. This is exactly what happened at one of the city races. The manhole cover collided with the next car, a fire broke out, the race was stopped. Since then, to avoid accidents, manhole covers are welded to the rim.
Natural nuclear reactor
One of the most serious branches of science is nuclear physics. There are interesting facts here. Did you know that 2 billion years ago, the real natural nuclear reactor was operating in the Oklo area? The reaction lasted 100,000 years until the uranium core was depleted.
An interesting fact is that the reactor was self-regulating - water entered the vein of uranium ores , which played the role of a moderator of neurons. With the active course of the chain reaction, the water boiled away, and the reaction waned.