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If England manage to get out of the group stages, continuing this evening against Algeria, and then go on to win the World Cup, they may find the victory a hollow one, according to one scientist at The University of Nottingham.
In the latest entry in the award-winning video project Periodic Table of Videos (http://tiny.cc/rziig), Professor Martyn Poliakoff concludes that the World Cup trophy must be hollow and not solid gold as variously described.
Professor Poliakoff suggests a solid trophy this size would be far too heavy to lift and calculates it would weigh as much as 80 kilograms
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Professor Poliakoff also believes lifting such a trophy would be bad for both player and the object itself: “Gold is quite an unusual metal because it’s really very soft. And you can’t make anything that’s very artistic out of pure gold, or at least you could but it’s so soft that when people start to handle it roughly it would bend.
“So people add other metals to the gold to make it tougher, to make it stronger. And in general the more other metals you add the stronger it gets. With this big trophy; if it was made out of pure gold the first time the footballer lifted it above his head it would bend. This would not be a fitting end to the competition though it might be the end of the footballer.”
In the video Professor Poliakoff also explains the truth behind Malachite, the mysterious mineral that forms the trophy’s famous green stripes.
The Periodic Table of Videos — www.periodicvideos.com — is home to short videos examining the properties of all the elements in the periodic table. The site has attracted more 26,000 subscribers, 4,500 more than Chelsea FC. Its sister site — www.test-tube.org.uk — showcases the work of scientists in Nottingham.
Filmmaker Brady Haran is responsible for the sites, creating and uploading videos that have been watched all over the world. New projects include Bibledex — www.bibledex.com — containing videos for each of the books of the Old Testament and Sixty Symbols — www.sixtysymbols.com — focusing on the world of Physics and Astronomy.
The videos will shortly be made available on the University’s new iTunes U channel — www.nottingham.ac.uk/itunesu.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 100 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher (THE) World University Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to RAE 2008, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranks the University 7th in the UK by research power. In 27 subject areas, the University features in the UK Top Ten, with 14 of those in the Top Five.
The University provides innovative and top quality teaching, undertakes world-changing research, and attracts talented staff and students from 150 nations. Described by The Times as Britain's “only truly global university”, it has invested continuously in award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. Twice since 2003 its research and teaching academics have won Nobel Prizes. The University has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in both 2006 (International Trade) and 2007 (Innovation — School of Pharmacy), and was named ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2008.
Nottingham was designated as a Science City in 2005 in recognition of its rich scientific heritage, industrial base and role as a leading research centre. Nottingham has since embarked on a wide range of business, property, knowledge transfer and educational initiatives (www.science-city.co.uk) in order to build on its growing reputation as an international centre of scientific excellence. The University of Nottingham is a partner in Nottingham: the Science City