We physicists like to see ourselves as a breed apart. We’re intellectuals teasing out nature’s secrets, developing critical technologies, or educating the next generation of scientists. Holidays? They’re a pointless frippery, a waste of time, an unproductive and lazy indulgence.

I’m caricaturing physicists, of course. But as the August special issue of Physics World reminds us, holidays are vital for our wellbeing. And with all of us having spent so long in lockdown, we perhaps realize more than ever why that’s the case.

Holidays recharge your batteries  and, by letting your mind wander in different surroundings and with different people, you can think some amazing thoughts, whether in the academic or business worlds.

If you really can’t switch off from science while on vacation, even a beach holiday has physics all around you. Build a sandcastle and you’ve created a compacted granular material mixed with a liquid (sea water). As to how the water helps the sand grains stick together, well that’s a question that touches on the ancient Egyptians, Lord Kelvin and the Nobel laureate Andre Geim, as Ian Randall discovers.

Once off the beach, maybe it’s time for some candyfloss – those extortionately priced wispy filaments of sugar sold on the seafront. Fun fact: there are “superpuff” exoplanets in the cosmos that are as fluffy and light as candyfloss itself.

Or perhaps you’d prefer a ride on a rollercoaster, which immerses you in Newtonian mechanics like nothing else can. As you hurtle down into the abyss, there’s physics coming at you from every direction as Michael Allen explains: G forces, kinetic energy and speeds of almost 120 km/h on a ride like The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

If none of that scratches your science itch, you can always take a science-themed holiday. Packing our choice of summer reading, you could journey to the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights, chase an eclipse along the path of totality, or visit meteorites, museums or monuments. Those destinations might be off-limits right now, but our guide, Juanita Bawagan, will at least help you dream about your next big break.

If you’re a member of the Institute of Physics, you can read the whole of Physics World magazine every month via our digital apps for iOS, Android and Web browsers. Let us know what you think about the issue on Twitter, Facebook or by e-mailing us at pwld@ioppublishing.org.

For the record, here’s a run-down of what else is in the issue.

• China enters the space race – With construction of its first dedicated space station set to be complete next year, China is now firmly becoming a major space power, as Ling Xin reports

• 21st-century holidays – Do you use vacations to unwind from physics or to focus on it without distraction? Robert P Crease wonders what holidays mean to physicists in the 21st century

• The business of holidays – Can a holiday make you money? James McKenzie explains how business ideas – both big and small – often arise when you’re away on vacation

• On returning to work – With the pandemic resulting in widescale burnout among academics, Karel Green says that taking time out of the office has never been so essential

•  Top tips for super sandcastles – Whether it’s just an upturned bucket or a towering edifice, there is a time-honoured tradition of building sandcastles on the beach. But, as Ian Randall discovers, there are many secrets to unravel when it comes to the granular science of sand 

• Holiday hotspots for physicists – After a difficult year spent largely indoors, we’re all in need of a getaway. Juanita Bawagan explores some dream destinations – from scientific wonders in our backyard to flights into outer space

• Twists, turns, thrills and spills – A ride on a rollercoaster is a perfect example of physics in action. But there is much more at play than simply gravity and speed when it comes to the thrill of rollercoasters, as Michael Allen discovers

Read more

Plant pioneers, cosmic computer concerns and tips for school presentations: the July 2021 issue of Physics World is now out

• Hot topics – Philip Ball reviews Einstein’s Fridge: the Science of Fire, Ice and the Universe by Paul Sen

• Elusive answers – Sabine Hossenfelder reviews Shell Beach: the Search for the Final Theory by Jesper Grimstrup

• Infitesimal to infinite – David Appell reviews Probable Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings by Alan Lightmann

• Curiosity killed the (Schrödinger’s) cat – Laura Hiscott reviews the play The Mirror Trap and speaks to its writer and star, Simon Watt

• Spending your summer wisely – As a student, you don’t have to spend your summer sunbathing on the beach or bingeing on reality TV. Laura Hiscott speaks to some early-career physicists who did summer internships in different places, from start-ups to university departments, and shares their advice for making the most of these opportunities

• The candyfloss cosmos – Laura Hiscott gets a taste for sugary stuff