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The science of juggling ... and more

SINGAPORE — Dr Ken Farquhar held up a handheld blender that was switched on and submerged it in a glass of water. The participant holding the glass removed his hand and, lo and behold, the glass remained in the air.

SINGAPORE — Dr Ken Farquhar held up a handheld blender that was switched on and submerged it in a glass of water. The participant holding the glass removed his hand and, lo and behold, the glass remained in the air.

It may seem like a simple anti-gravity trick using only kitchen utensils, but scientists are still debating the science that causes the glass to hang freely when the blender is switched on.

“I invented this trick but I’m still trying to work out the science behind this phenomenon,” confessed the British scientist.

Comparing it to the mechanics of a boat propeller, Dr Farquhar suggested: “The water is rotating, creating a vortex, much like a whirlpool ... the water in this case is being pulled up, preventing it from falling to the floor and pulled downwards by gravity.”

Dr Farquhar, who is also a world juggling champion, was speaking yesterday at a press conference on the Singapore Science Festival (SSF), which runs from today until Aug 4.

He will be performing in a three-day carnival called X-periment!, one of the core events of the SSF.

Showcasing the science behind circus acts, Dr Farquhar’s unique style of teaching science is a good match for the festival, which intends to show the public how fun and relevant science is to everyday life.

“All (my shows) have a narrative theme, and the one (today) is called the ‘entertaining science circus show’,” said Dr Farquhar, who feels that the most fun and effective way is to approach science like a story.

Audiences can expect to learn the science behind juggling, yo-yos, diabolos, plate spinning, and unicycling.

Besides charming everyone with his entertaining persona, he also hopes to teach them how the various forces interact with each other.

“The science of juggling in the show is simply how I push an object and how gravity pulls it back. This invisible force that is pulling it back into my hand allows me to do it in many different ways,” he said.

“On top of that, I will also be proving that men can also multi-task. I will be doing four different things all at the same time: Looking at the audience, juggling, riding a unicycle and talking,” he added.

With 17 years of presenting experience, Dr Farquhar said he wants to make science fun, easy and “geek chic”. He also hopes to inspire everyone to explore the science that goes on in their day-to-day lives.

“Some of these things (the science behind daily activities) are not as obvious and what I am doing is providing the simplest of explanations for them,” said Dr Farquhar, who has developed his style from his experience in various jobs, including street performer, mime artist, actor, schoolteacher and presenter.

X-periment! will take place at the Marina Square Central Atrium and features a myriad of interactive and hands-on experiments.

Dr Farquhar will perform three to four shows per day until Sunday, with each act about 30 minutes long.

Read more about X-periment! and the SSF here: http://tdy.sg/ssf19july

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