Physics Ig Nobel prize awarded to ponytail researchers

BBC : At the 22nd Annual Ig Nobel ceremony, which took place yesterday, the physics prize went to Patrick Warren, Raymond Goldstein, Robin Ball, and Joe Keller “for calculating the balance of forces that shape and move the hair in a human ponytail.” Although the Igs are intended as a spoof of the Nobel science prizes, the recipients are actual scientists, many of whom have published their research in peer-reviewed, scholarly journals. Warren says his research is important for the company where he works, Unilever, because it sells a lot of hair care products. The researchers’ “Ponytail Shape Equation” takes into account the stiffness of hair strands, the effects of gravity, and the presence of curliness or waviness. Warren points out that such research can have wider applications, such as in the production of fabrics or even in computer animation to help make the hair look more natural.