Lectures - Spring 2007

Why the toast always lands butter-side down: the science of Murphy’s law

Speaker: Richard Robinson
19th May

Murphy's Law is the most important law in science: "Whatever CAN go wrong WILL go wrong". Why does your queue go slowest? Why do buses go round in threes? Why does the toast always land butter-side down? There are many weirdnesses to be explained, and the explanations show that the world is often counter-intuitive. Science has the task of sorting out reality from illusion, and this show does just that. Richard Robinson uses magic and illusions to take you on a white-knuckle ride through your own mind. During the talk we see how the senses take things in, how the mind interprets them, and how we regularly get it wrong.

Richard Robinson has been there and back again. After chasing sciences as far as degree level he chucked it all over for a life in theatre and television. He set up the busking pitch in Covent Garden, was a founder of Spitting Image, and happily forgot about science – until his own children started to take an interest in the world. In the course of educating them, Richard rediscovered science and the sense of wonder it can bring. He has written 17 science books since then, including Why the Toast always Lands Butter-side Down, which has been translated into fourteen languages, and which he has toured around the world. He is also director of Brighton Science Festival

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