• Question: what's your favourite force, as in gravity ect?

    Asked by elmo97 to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Andrew Maynard

      Andrew Maynard answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Hi elmo97,

      Haha – great question! I would say electromagnetic force – it’s elegant, intriguing, and explains a lot about how materials and radiation work and interact.

    • Photo: Marianne Baker

      Marianne Baker answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Had to think about this one.

      I was going to say centrifugal, then coriolis, then settled on torque.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque

      It just seems to conjure up sexy images of motorbikes on picturesque moutainsides… not really sure why. Too much Gran Tourismo perhaps (yes I realise that doesn’t have motorbikes).

      I don’t even like motorbikes particularly! My brother’s got stolen from our garden when I was 5 and my sister’s ex had to have his leg cut off from above the knee because someone ran him over whilst talking on their mobile phone.

      But anyway, torque is an important force if you do happen to be on a motorbike.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque#Machine_torque

      There you go, most random answer ever.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      elmo i guess you mean etc because ect is electro-convulsive therapy which is an effective therapy for severe depression which involves zapping electricity through electrodes into your head (whilst you are unconscious with an anaesthetic). They did this in the film ‘One flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ with Jack Nicholson.

      So., assuming you meant etc. I’m going to have to say ‘force of nature’ . There’s nothing like a really big storm on land or at sea to remind you just how important you are in the grand scheme of things. I quite like the idea that nature could step on me like an ant (keeps me humble). This doesn’t mean I’m happy when i see terrible natural disasters happening just that i like occasional (non-lethal) reminders of my (in)significance.

      PS I know I have totally cheated again but physics isn’t really my thing.

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