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University Actually Conducts Scientific Study of Mosh Pits

02/20/2013
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(Radio.com) Despite concert-goer's best efforts to incite chaos, four scientists at Cornell University have released a mathematical study that finds seemingly disorderly mosh pits to be quite predictable.

Titled Collective Motion of Moshers at Heavy Metal Concerts, the study analyzes both the disorganized mosh pit (where participants run into each other from all directions) and the relatively organized circle pit (think swirling toilet bowl) or the wal.

The scientists from Cornell's Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics and Department of Physics poured over internet video and studied the participants as "self-propelled agents that experience dissipative collisions." The researchers turned the video into statistical data.

They asked why does a mosh pit that appears to be out of balance actually show characteristics of an otherwise predictable system?

The answer points to "flocking," the social phenomenon that describes the collective motion of a large number of self-propelled entities (birds, fish, humans). In other words, without direction from a central leader, the group of individuals unknowingly choose to follow a set of rules. Read more as you ponder why tuition is so high.

Radio.com is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
Copyright Radio.com/CBS Local - Excerpted here with permission.

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