The Physics of Everyday Life: From Soap Bubbles to Quantum Technologies

Why do meanders form in rivers? How to make a glass sing? Is it possible to build a talking tube between Paris and Marseille? What laws determine the shape of droplets and bubbles? What happens when cooking a roast? Can you try al dente spaghetti at the top of Everest? And drink good coffee there? The reader will find answers to all these questions, as well as many others, in this book. Every page of the book invites wonder, even though it discusses physical phenomena underlying our daily lives. The latest achievements in physics are not forgotten: the authors introduce the reader to the mysteries of quantum mechanics and superconductivity, explain the physical foundations of magnetic resonance imaging, and discuss quantum technologies. «Soap bubbles on a flat surface. The angles formed by the walls connecting three bubbles is 120 degrees. In dense foam, six separating planes between four touching bubbles have tetrahedral symmetry: they form angles of 109.5 degrees». From chapter to chapter, the reader gets acquainted with the countless facets of the physical world. Nobel Prize-winning fundamental results follow descriptions of seemingly insignificant phenomena of nature, on which, nevertheless, the entire majestic edifice of physics stands. «When creating honeycombs, bees build them in hexagons. Perhaps this arrangement is most convenient for the larvae. Moreover, it saves wax. Indeed, the length of the boundaries separating regions of equal area will be shortest when packed in regular hexagons». «Microwave oven. Under the influence of the high voltage created by the transformer, the magnetron emits electromagnetic waves, which are directed inside the microwave oven through a waveguide. A special device redistributes the radiation in various directions to ensure that the food cooks as evenly as possible».