Cafe scientifique March 9

[Marie Aronson]

Café Scientifique on Thursday 9 March 2006 at 18:00, Café Morkku, Läntinen teatterikuja 1, Helsinki Pasta formula Why does spaghetti break into three or more pieces, not two, when it's shoved into a small pot? Even Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman was puzzled by this phenomenon. Now Basile Audoly, a young French researcher from the Pierre & Marie Curie University in Paris has found the answer, which was recently published in the renowned "Physical Review Letters". He discovered that under pressure, cement and ceramics break in similar ways to spaghetti noodles. His findings could help engineers understand how buildings collapse after an earthquake and suggest how to design better ones. Find out all about the natural laws governing spaghetti! During the coffee break, you will have the possibility to taste some delicious pastries made with pulled sugar, which has similar properties as uncooked spaghetti. Held in English. All are welcome, no entrance fee. www.britishcouncil.fi www.france.fi/ccf www.heureka.fi