69 Things That Look So Impossible You’ll Probably Need A Second Look

The whole idea of physics is pretty intimidating to someone like me—I get overwhelmed just thinking about space and galaxies, and I pretty much skipped science class altogether. Basically, physics is the study of the laws and forces that govern how the universe works, from the tiniest subatomic particles to the most enormous cosmic phenomena. That includes matter, energy, motion, and how they all interact. So, basically, everything. Say what?

Physics also underpins a wide range of scientific and professional fields, from astronomy and chemistry to engineering and medicine—all areas that involve the kind of work done by people I’d consider actual geniuses. But it’s not just something that matters to scientists and engineers. It’s at work in all kinds of everyday things, too, from your morning cup of coffee to the smartphone you’re probably reading this on. Whether we realize it or not, physics is everywhere.

But sometimes, we come across something so strange and mind-boggling that it makes us wonder if physics has left the chat. To be sure, it hasn’t—some of these are simply neat tricks, artistic or engineering marvels, or moments caught at exactly the right time to make us question reality. Although our eyes might tell us otherwise, the laws of physics were still very much in effect. But this does raise an interesting question: how non-negotiable are these laws, really, and have they ever been broken?

To someone like me, the laws of physics seem pretty solid (excuse the pun)—reliable and predictable in a universe full of things so vast and complex that they’re almost impossible for most of us to comprehend. But when it comes to physics, as theoretical cosmologist Paul M. Sutter explains, the word “law” is actually used pretty loosely, even by physicists themselves. He writes: “Sometimes the term applies to properties of the natural world that we have consistently observed to be true for a very long time. Sometimes the word is attached to fundamental ideas that form the bedrock of large, sprawling, complex theories of the cosmos. And sometimes it’s just a throwback term that doesn’t even apply anymore.”

Whatever the case may be, Sutter says, what’s important to remember is that “all knowledge in science, up to and including the most important laws, is provisional.” Scientific knowledge stands for as long as there is evidence to support it. If the evidence changes, he explains, “then we update our knowledge of physics, tearing down laws if we have to, and move on.” That’s how we become more knowledgeable and sophisticated in our understanding of the universe—but it’s also what Sutter calls the part of physics that’s the most fun.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all the laws of physics are equally up for debate. Some are so well-tested and fundamental that, as Sutter explains, overturning them would take a lot of work. He cites the law of conservation of momentum, which “finds utility in almost every corner of physics,” as an example. He says, “In principle, we could be wrong about that law, and we as scientists must always stand ready to toss it aside, if need be, but in centuries of studying momentum conservation we’ve never, ever observed a violation of it, so it doesn’t exactly keep us up at night.”

But there are laws that haven’t stood the test of time. Some, like Bode’s law, Sutter explains, “were overturned almost as soon as they were stated.” Others he calls “in-between” laws—not quite wrong, but not complete on their own. As he puts it, “These are the laws that hold true, but as we discover more about the universe, we find that they are just a subset of a larger understanding of the cosmos.” Newton’s law of universal gravitation, for instance, “still works in most of the universe, but in more intense scenarios, like around a black hole, or when more precision is needed, like when calculating GPS coordinates, you need to ‘break’ Newton’s law and upgrade to relativity.”

Some laws of physics are still being challenged today. As Sutter puts it, “Some are actively being broken right now, which is a good thing, because that means there’s more to learn about the universe.” One recent example comes from Anthony Raykh, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who unexpectedly disrupted a process governed by the laws of thermodynamics—yes, the ones Homer Simpson famously insisted his household obey.

More specifically, Raykh was experimenting with emulsification—the process of combining liquids that don’t naturally mix, like oil and water. If you think of your favorite salad dressing, you see this in action: when you shake it, the ingredients mix together. But as Darren Orf writes for Popular Mechanics, “That very same process got strange” when Raykh “mixed a batch of immiscible liquids along with magnetized nickel particles.” Instead of mixing as expected, the mixture formed what the researchers described as a “Grecian urn” shape. No matter how much he shook it, it eventually returned to the same shape.

Further investigation showed that the strong magnetism was bending the boundary between the liquids and interfering with the usual emulsification process. It may not have any immediate practical applications, but as Orf writes, “it is a never-before-seen state that could expand the field of soft-matter physics.” For us, at least, it’s a reminder that when it comes to describing the mysterious ways in which our world works, the centuries-old field of physics still has a few surprises up its sleeve. Which brings us back to these wonderfully baffling images...