Fermi Problems
A great warm-up
Enrico Fermi (1901 - 1954)
Enrico Fermi, a great physicist who made important experimental and theoretical
contributions to nuclear physics, was fond of working out problems, which,
at first glance, did not seem to have enough information to allow for a
solution. Some physicists like to refer to these sort of problems are Fermi
problems. Typically, in such problems, which often involve making estimates,
you need to make some assumptions. Unlike typical textbook problems, not
all the information you need is handed to you. After reading the problems
below, you'll get the idea.
How many frames are in the movie Lion King ?
Apple and feather falling in a vaccum
The above photo was taken with the camera shutter open and illumination
provided by a strobe light. Using only the information from the photo, what
can you say about the frequency of the strobe and the length of each pulse
?
What is the horizontal speed of the golf ball ?
How much does a fully-loaded cement truck weigh ?
When I gave this problem a year ago, two students called a local cement
company and asked "how much does a fully-loaded cement truck weigh
?" and they got their answer. Cool.
