Short Wave How Physics Could Make Big Crowds Safer
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Feb 7, 2025 Discover the intriguing connection between crowd behavior and fluid dynamics, revealing how cheering crowds mimic the movements of water. Learn about the vital insights researchers hope to use for ensuring safety in large events. Delve into how time of day influences our moods and the fascinating fossil discovery of an ancient bird that could reshape our understanding of avian evolution. Uncover the lessons ancient fossils teach us about biodiversity and the significance of past events in shaping our current environment.
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Spanish Festival Crowd
- The San Fermín Festival in Pamplona, Spain, draws a dense crowd comparable to 900 people in a one-bedroom apartment.
- Despite this density, the festival is known for its safety record, unlike the tragic Astroworld Festival crowd crush.
Crowd Safety Advice
- Avoid the edges of a dense crowd, especially near rigid walls.
- Stay within the bulk of the crowd to minimize the risk of being crushed.
Predictable Crowd Patterns
- Physicist Dennis Bartolo's team found that dense crowds exhibit predictable, recurring patterns like clumping and swaying.
- This discovery suggests that monitoring these patterns could enable early intervention to prevent crowd crushes.