The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

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The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

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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.

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The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry: Series 21: The Magnetic Mystery

The Magnetic Mystery

Series 21

BBC Radio 4 - The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, Series 21, The Magnetic Mystery

Our sleuths set out to investigate the mysterious power of magnets, with the help of wizard-physicist Dr Felix Flicker and materials scientist Dr Anna Ploszajski.

Magnets are inside loads of everyday electronic kit - speakers, motors, phones and more - but listener Lucas is mystified: what, he wonders, is a magnetic field? 

Our sleuths set out to investigate the mysterious power of magnets, with the help of wizard / physicist Dr Felix Flicker  - author of the The Magick of Matter - and materials scientist Dr Anna Ploszajski.

They cover the secrets of lodestones - naturally occurring magnetic rocks - and how to levitate crystals, frogs and maybe even people.

Matthew Swallow, the Chair of the UK Magnetics Society, explains why magnets make the best brakes for rollercoasters, and Dr Ploszajski explains how magnetically-induced eddy currents are used to sort through our recycling. 

Finally, Dr Flicker persuades Adam and Hannah that to really understand magnetic fields you have to leave classical physics behind, and go quantum... So our sleuths take a leap into the strange subatomic realm. 

Contributors: Dr Felix Flicker, Lecturer in Physics at Cardiff University and author of ‘The Magick of Matter’, Dr Anna Ploszajski, materials scientist and author of ‘Handmade’, Matthew Swallow,  Chair of the UK Magnetics Society

Presented by Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford
Producer: Ilan Goodman

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry: Series 21

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

Series 21

The Magnetic Mystery

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