Everyday Physics: Uncovering the Forces Around Us

Curious how your coffee stays hot or your bike doesn’t fall over.
Physics is at the heart of everything, quietly and invisibly powering your life. Let us expose the universe of invisible forces, elegant equations, and silent symphonies of physics at play.

Physics isn’t just about rockets, atoms, or mind-bending theories of time. It is also in the spoon you use to stir your tea. It is in the simple act of walking.

Let us take a walk through the hidden physics of things you use every day—things you thought you understood.

1. Sitting Down Is a Balancing Act

Pull out a chair and take a seat—without realizing it, you just performed a mini feat of physics.

a) When you sit:

i) Your body weight creates a downward force due to the force of gravity.

ii) The chair provides an equal and opposite normal force upward.

iii) The chair legs exert torque to stay upright, and the friction between the floor and chair prevents it from sliding away.

b) Without friction, you would fall flat.

c) Too much force on one side will cause the chair to topple.

2. Even comfort has physics behind it

The cushion compresses to distribute pressure evenly, reducing stress concentration, which is why sitting on a yoga block does not give the same feeling of comfort.

3. The Bicycle: Simplicity Meets Genius

At first glance, a bicycle is just two wheels, a seat, and pedals. But it is a rolling physics laboratory.

a) Gyroscopic effect keeps the wheels stable when moving.

b) Angular momentum helps you balance.

c) Gearing manipulates torque—lower gears give you power, higher gears give you speed.

d) It is all powered by mechanical energy from your legs, turned into forward motion via a chain.

Even if you remove the gyroscopic effect and trail, recent studies show that geometry and mass distribution still make a bike self-stabilizing. The truth is that we are still learning why bikes work as well as they do.

4. Your Smartphone is a Magic Brick

The screen responds to touch, shows videos, connects to the internet, and talks to satellites in orbit. But at its core, it is just physics.

a) The screen senses you through capacitive touch, detecting tiny electric field changes from your finger.

b) The processor moves billions of electrons per second through circuits etched thinner than a human hair.

c) It catches electromagnetic waves from cell towers, decoding them into messages, maps, and memes.