Michael Stevens shares a vintage 1900s telegram codebook, explaining how Latin abbreviations saved users money on word-counted messages and tracing the history of the telegraph. The hosts then answer listener questions, including why water swirls in drains due to angular momentum rather than the Coriolis effect. They also explore the physics of softness, discussing how materials like nets and crumple zones absorb kinetic energy to reduce impact force, referencing J.B.S. Haldane’s essay on animal size and survival.
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