The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

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BBC Radio 4 FM

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Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries.

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries sent by listeners.

BBC Radio 4 LW

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry: Series 20: The Wild and Windy Tale

The Wild and Windy Tale

Series 20

BBC Radio 4 - The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, Series 20, The Wild and Windy Tale

“How do winds start and why do they stop?” asks Georgina from the Isle of Wight

From local squalls to vast hurricanes, what drives the wind? Dr Rutherford and Dr Fry investigate the bracing science of the breeze.

How do winds start and why do they stop? asks Georgina from the Isle of Wight. What's more, listener Chris Elshaw is suprised we get strong winds at all: why doesn't air just move smoothly between areas of high and low pressure? Why do we get sudden gusts and violent storms?   

To tackle this breezy mystery, our curious duo don their anoraks and get windy with some weather experts.

Dr Simon Clark, a science Youtuber and author of Firmament, convinces Adam that air flow is really about the physics of fluids, which can all be captured by some nifty maths. The idea of pressure turns out to be key, so Hannah makes her own barometer out of a jar, a balloon and some chopsticks, and explains why a bag of crisps will expand as you walk up a mountain. 

Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Scoiety, reveals how the dynamics of a simple sea breeze – where air over land is heated more than air over water – illustrates the basic forces driving wind of all kinds.  

Then everyone gets involved to help Adam understand the tricky Coriolis effect and why the rotation of the Earth makes winds bend and storms spin.  And Professor John Turner from the British Antarctic Survey explains why the distinctive features of the coldest continent make its coastline the windiest place on earth. 

Producer: Ilan Goodman 
Contributors: Dr Simon Clark, Professor Liz Bentley, Professor John Turner

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry: Series 20

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Series 20

The Wild and Windy Tale

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