What the Physics of Phase Transitions Can Teach us About Deadly Stampedes and Crushing Crowds

After the polar vortex that recently plunged much of North America into subzero temperatures, examples of stunning phase transitions abound. Videos of boiling water condensing into snow and supercooled water instantly crystalizing swept the internet alongside my personal favorite: bubbles freezing before your eyes.Ajinkya Kulkarni, Sumesh Thampi, and Mahesh Panchagnula of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) also have freezing on the mind, but for a very different reason. They study ...