Whether you are familiar with the term -Magnus effect- or not, you have certainly seen it in action. It is when a spinning ball - for instance in football, cricket or baseball - bends away from its expected trajectory, often to the surprise of the opposing team. The principle also has engineering uses, for example to propel certain types of ships or aircraft using a -Flettner rotor-. Physicists have now demonstrated that the Magnus effect also exists at a microscopic level, where its effects can become really significant under certain conditions. ...
