IRIS login | Reed College home Volume 96, No. 2: June 2017
Never underestimate the power of Reedies. At a Centennial Reunions class on Thursday, June 9, I learned firsthand that all we need to create a tidal wave in our very own sports center swimming pool is two dozen Reedies and a leader with an understanding of classical physics.
Okay, perhaps "tidal" is a bit of an exaggeration of the wave's size. But it's no overstatement to say that we managed to slosh water out of both ends of the pool by doing nothing more than hopping in and out of the shallow end at the direction of Brad Wright '61. Brad gave an explanation of the physics of wave-making before the experiment began (here is an extended version of the video above, complete with full scientific explanation). I confess that between the poor acoustics of the pool deck and the anticipation of jumping in the water, most of the science to passed me by. I can tell you that coordination of the physics of the event required someone to stand at the pool's edge swinging the so-called Pendulum of Destiny, a group of four rubber duckies with a golf balls attached to their bases floating in the middle of the pool, and our willingness to hop in when the wave was at its highest point only to hop back out each time it ebbed to its lowest.
Continue reading Making Waves: Alumni Generate Mini Tsunami
2012 (1)
abstract expressionism (1)
academic honors (1)
admission (1)
admissions (2)
adventure (2)
aesthetics (1)
AFR (1)
Africa (2)
alumni (80)
Alumni College (3)
amazing students (1)
Anne Washburn (1)
Annual Fund (3)
anthro (1)
AOD (1)
apocalypse (1)
Apple (4)
architecture (2)
Aristotle (1)
art (15)
asthma (1)
astronomy (2)
athletics (1)
Augustine (1)
autism (1)
Awards (5)
awards (28)
awesomeness (1)
bagpipes (1)
band practice room (1)
Bangladeshi pop (1)
barbecue (1)
basketball (3)
bench (1)
bio (11)
Biology (2)
biology (5)
Black History Month (1)
black hole (1)
Blue Like Jazz (1)
board of trustees (1)
borders (1)
brain (1)
brilliant students (22)
Brilliant Students (3)
bungee cords (1)
Burundi embassy (1)
caged fury (2)
calligraphy (5)
Campaign video (1)
campus life (3)
campus news (4)
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? (1)
canyon (6)
carbon footprint (1)
Career Services (2)
careers (7)
census (1)
centennial (23)
ceramics (1)
chaos (1)
chapel (1)
Charles Rhyne (1)
chemistry (6)
Chemistry (2)
Chinese Chess (1)
Chinese New Year (1)
Chuck Berry (1)
Cicero (1)
Clamor (1)
Class of 21 (1)
class rivalry (1)
classics (1)
Colin Diver (6)
commencement (1)
community safety (1)
computer science (3)
computers (1)
computing (4)
Comrades of the Quest (1)
convocation (2)
Cooley Gallery (5)
Cooley Gallery (1)
coral reefs (1)
Coriolis Effect (1)
coyote (1)
cryptography (1)
CSO (1)
Curiosity rover (1)
curriculum (1)
dance (2)
Darius Rejali (1)
David Schiff (1)
Davis Peace Project (1)
deloria (1)
digital humanities (1)
Dim Sum (1)
discipline (1)
diversity (6)
dogma (1)
dogs (1)
Dominic Finocchiaro (1)
doughnuts (2)
Doyle Owl (3)
drugs (1)
dxoxtxux (1)
early childhood education (1)
Early Voting (1)
economics (5)
Economics (2)
Ed Segel Scholarship (1)
education (2)
eighties (1)
Einstein (1)
eliot hall (1)
Elyse Fenton (1)
Emilio Pucci (1)
engineering (2)
English (2)
English major (1)
Enlgish major (1)
entrepreneurs (4)
enviro studies (1)
environment (1)
environmental studies (4)
environmentalism (1)
Erik Zornik (1)
Esmeralda Herrera (1)
eugenics (1)
Eye of the Tiger (1)
F24 (1)
faculty (3)
fairy tales (1)
fall (1)
fanfayre (1)
fashion design (1)
feminism (1)
Field Theories (1)
film (2)
Film Matters (1)
financial aid (3)
flying leap (2)
Ford Family Foundation Facilities Grant (1)
Foster-Scholz Club (1)
fractals (1)
fruit foam (1)
Fugazi (1)
Fulbright (2)
Fulbright Home Hospitality Evening (1)
game theory (1)
games (1)
gastronomy (1)
Gastronomy Northwest (1)
Geoffrey Pagen (1)
geographic indeterminacy (1)
geometry (1)
George Anders (1)
German (1)
giant rabbit (1)
ginormous blocks (1)
gnomon (1)
golden shovel (1)
graduation (1)
graffiti (2)
grant (1)
grants (5)
gravity (1)
Gray Fund (1)
great vowel shift (1)
green nukes (1)
Gregory MacNaughton (1)
Griffin (1)
Griffs (1)
Guggenheim Fellowship (1)
harm reduction (1)
harpsichord (1)
haute couture (1)
heartbreak (1)
heathen (1)
Hegelian dialectic (1)
Helen Stafford (2)
hell (1)
Herodotus (1)
higher ed (2)
Hilbert Curve (1)
history (4)
History (1)
HIV (2)
holocaust (1)
Homer (5)
honor principle (2)
hoops (5)
Horror (1)
Hubbub (1)
Hum 110 (14)
Hum Protests (1)
humanities (3)
Humanities (1)
Humanities Award (1)
ideas (1)
inauguration (2)
infinity (2)
intellectual (1)
Internet (1)
Ireland (1)
Islam (1)
Jack Dudman (1)
jagged basalt (1)
James Joyce (1)
Jamie Isenstein (1)
Jan Mieszkowski (1)
Japan (1)
Jay Mellies (1)
jazz (1)
John Gray (1)
John Kroger (1)
John Pock (1)
John Sheehy (2)
journalism (2)
Joyce (1)
Juggling (1)
Julie Fry (1)
kant (1)
Kara Walker (1)
Karoly (1)
Koblik (1)
Kroger (7)
KRRC (1)
Last Hum lecture (1)
liberal arts (1)
library (1)
Life Beyond Reed (2)
life beyond reed (5)
Life on Mars (1)
linguistics (1)
literature (1)
Lloyd Reynolds (2)
Magic (1)
Malaria (1)
Marc Schneiberg (1)
march madness (1)
Margaret Balk (1)
Mark Angeles (1)
Mark Burford (1)
marriage equality (1)
Mars (1)
martial arts (1)
Martin Luther King Day (1)
Marvin Levich (1)
math (6)
Math (1)
mathematics (2)
medium of exchange (1)
memoir (1)
memorial (1)
metaphysical education (1)
metaphysics (1)
Mieszkowski (1)
million dollar match (1)
modernism (1)
molecular gastronomy (1)
Mt. Rainier (1)
music (14)
musicfest nw (1)
Native Americans (1)
neuro (1)
neurogenesis (1)
neurology (1)
neuroscience (1)
Nicholas Kristof (1)
NIH grant (2)
Northwest Woodworking (1)
number theory (1)
Obama (1)
olde reed (1)
opb (1)
Oregon (3)
orienteering (1)
ovoid ammunition (2)
owl (1)
P.E. (1)
Paideia (2)
Paradox (4)
paradox (2)
Parker House (1)
Paul Bragdon (1)
Paul Gronke (1)
Paul Silverstein (1)
performance (1)
performing arts (11)
Performing Arts Building celebration (1)
Peter Rock (3)
philanthropy (15)
Philanthropy (1)
philosophy (2)
Philosophy (1)
Philosophy Talk (1)
Phonathon (1)
photography (1)
physical plant (1)
physics (20)
Physics (1)
plato (1)
plays (1)
Poetry (1)
poetry (5)
poker (1)
poli sci (1)
police car (1)
politics (1)
polynomial (1)
pool (1)
Portland (22)
Portland Bike Commute Challenge (1)
post-electricity future (1)
potato ice cream (1)
praise (1)
pranks (1)
President (1)
presidents (2)
prexy (2)
prime numbers (1)
Princeton Review (1)
professor (1)
professors (22)
Professors (1)
profs (1)
psych (2)
psychology (2)
Quest (1)
R.P. “Dick” Wollenberg (1)
radiation (1)
radio (3)
Radio Bootcamp (1)
rainbow (1)
rankings (2)
RAW (2)
Rebecca Gordon (1)
recursive paradox (1)
Reed College (9)
Reed community (1)
Reed faculty (1)
Reed history (1)
reed in the news (1)
Reed on the Road (1)
Reed reactor (1)
Reed traditions (1)
reed union (1)
Reedfayre (7)
registrar’s office (1)
Reisberg (1)
religion (4)
Renn Fayre (1)
research (3)
restoration (1)
reunions (28)
Reunions (3)
Richard Crandall (3)
Richard Simmons (1)
Robert Smith ’89 (1)
rock (1)
Rock and Roll (1)
Rogowski (1)
ROMP (2)
Rose Parade (1)
rugby (2)
running (5)
Russian (2)
salmon (1)
Samiya Bashir (1)
Schiff (1)
science (1)
scriptorium (1)
SEEDS (4)
seniors (1)
Service (1)
shipwreck (1)
Silk Road (1)
sinister pathogen (1)
snow (1)
snow and ice (1)
soccer (1)
social justice (1)
sociology (3)
software (2)
solar eclipse (1)
speed (1)
Spells (2)
sports (27)
spring (1)
stargazing (1)
StartUp Lab (1)
statistics (4)
steam tunnels (1)
steely determination (1)
STEM (5)
Stephanie Snyder (1)
Stephen E. Ostrow Distinguished Visitor in the Arts (1)
Steve Arch (1)
Steve Jobs (4)
strange diseases (1)
student (1)
student achievement (1)
student autonomy (1)
student life (32)
students (12)
study abroad (1)
SU (3)
Sue Cooley (1)
summer internship (1)
sundial (1)
sustainability (2)
swimming pool (1)
switchboard (1)
Syria (1)
Tai Chi (1)
tango (2)
teaching (1)
teachingandlearning (1)
tech (2)
technology (1)
Tezeta Band (1)
the Simpsons (1)
theatre (3)
thesis (7)
Thesis (1)
thesis parade (1)
Thinking Reed (2)
tibetan singing bowl (1)
time (1)
time travel (1)
Tina Satter (1)
Title IX (2)
Torture (1)
torture (1)
tradition (1)
traditions (19)
tree (3)
trivia (1)
trustees (1)
Trustees (1)
Tyler Nordgren (1)
undergrad research (4)
Ural Thomas (1)
urban planning (1)
US News and World Report (1)
venomous parasitic wasps (1)
visual art (1)
volunteer (2)
Wand (1)
war (1)
Watson (1)
waves (1)
weathergrams (1)
Weimar Germany (1)
Wheel of Fortune (1)
Wilkerson (1)
William T Foster (2)
working weekend (1)
Working Weekend (1)
Working Weekend ’13 (1)
WPA (1)
You Can Do Anything (1)
Zebrafish eye (1)