Physics Club: Frédéric Chevy, Ecole Normale Supérieure, “The Cobra Wave”

Event time: 
Monday, February 19, 2018 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: 
Sloane Physics Laboratory (SPL), 57 See map
217 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Event description: 

The cobra wave is a popular physical phenomenon illustrated online by many spectacular videos. It arises from the explosion of a metastable grillage made of popsicle sticks and for a physicist,this system provides a non-trivial example of structural dynamics that is nevertheless amenable to an in-depth understanding.Using a joint experimental and theoretical analysis, we have studied the interplay between the dynamics of single sticks and that of the whole structure and we have shown that the cobra wave could only exist in a narrow range of parameters constrained by gravity and material fracture.

Host: Nir Navon

Tea after the talk in Sloane Physics Lab 3rd Floor Lounge