Physics & Materials

You’re calmly making yourself a sandwich, the doorbell rings, you turn around quickly — thud — there it goes. And of course it lands exactly how you don’t want it to: topping‑side down. But… does a sandwich really always fall that way? And if so, why? In this video from the University of the Netherlands, Minke Berghuis, physicist at the University of Twente, dives into this seemingly simple yet surprisingly deep question. Because behind that annoying little accident on your kitchen counter lies an entire world of physics.

Your skin bends and stretches all day long. When you grab a doorhandle or laugh, your skin follows effortlessly. Your skin has to deform, be stretched, pulled or pressed, and still return to its original shape. In this story, UT researcher Fay Claybrook explains how she is attempting to replicate these properties in artificial skin.

Olympic speed skaters glide effortlessly over the ice. Figure skaters spin as if friction barely exists. Ice skating looks effortless, but for physicists, that is deeply strange. In fact, ice skating should not work at all.

An electronic nose that can tell different whiskies apart? It might sound like a joke, but behind the idea lies a serious technology with significant impact. Dr Ir Sissi de Beer, scientist and programme director of Applied Physics at the University of Twente, is developing a portable sensor that, much like the human nose, can recognise scents. Handy at a whisky tasting, perhaps, but primarily intended to help farmers detect diseases in their livestock at an early stage — even before a vet would notice.

How does your raincoat stop rain while letting your sweat through? This is due to the special properties of the fabric and design. In this video, UT professor Wiebe de Vos explains how this works.