6 Things for daily living

Consider waking up in the morning, grabbing a notebook, and recording every tangible item that you use during the next 24 hours. Imagine taking this a step further and identifying how physics is involved in each item. Here are a few examples in a long list, just from the first hour. An alarm clock awakens you: the timer may be based upon electronically-sustained resonance of a piezoelectric quartz crystal that sets the fundamental pulse rate. The sound generator could also be piezoelectric, this time in the form of a ceramic and metal disk. You go wash and groom in the bathroom: soap is a wonderful example of delicate interaction of molecules that makes materials soluble in water. Towels are designed to absorb moisture and to feel good when touching the skin; however, it is also convenient for them to dry fairly quickly in open air and to be relatively unsatisfactory substrates for fungus or bacterial colonies. Breakfast in the kitchen uses utensils and dishware that are manufactured at modest cost to optimize material choice, form and function. Cooking devices mix and heat your meal in a variety of ways. While eating you adjust curtains or blinds that regulate light through your kitchen window; perhaps your window itself does this by automatically changing its tint. Along the way, you check that your house plants are looking healthy thanks to an automatic moisture sensing and watering system. You sit on a chair and place your food on a table that are sturdy and aesthetically pleasing structures. As you move about your dwelling you walk along various surface coverings – rugs, mats, tiles, etc. – that make walking comfortable. Slippers protect your feet with light-weight, conformable, and durable materials. It is likely that you use various entertainment devices to either listen to music or catch up on news and weather reports. Soon you are on your way out the front door, whose biosensing and/or wirelessly activated lock mechanism acts appropriately as you depart.