We here at the Eclectic Eccentric are big fans of interdisciplinary learning. The more areas of interest you can combine into one happening the better as far as we’re concerned. Which is why we are delighted to present this little crossover trick to you now. In this edition of Science! For Parties, you are going to learn how to create literary tension using Science!
This trick is very easy to do and sure to fascinate your friends at any party. All you need are two books of similar size. Take the books and merge their pages together like you were shuffling cards. You don’t have to methodically alternate pages, but the more interspersed they are the better the trick works. When your books are ready, bet your friends they can’t pull the books apart by the spines. They’ll find that hard as they might try the books just won’t come apart. Once you’ve collected on your bet, its time to sound smart and explain how the trick works.
The science behind these sticky pages is pretty simple. It’s all about friction. Specifically dry friction, which is the force that opposes the lateral motion of two solid surfaces in contact. Now the force of friction between two pages is not all that strong, but when you multiply that force by a few hundred pages it becomes pretty powerful. Strong enough to keep you from pulling the two books apart.
Like I said, not overly complicated. But with this trick in repertoire, you are scientifically proven to be a big hit when your book club gets together again. See you next time!