Why the Kettle Sings

The physics of ordinary things, one object at a time

Evan Castellano2 episodes2 min of audio36 playsEpisodic

Episodes

One episode is free to sample for 60 seconds. Sign up free or log in to play every episode in full.

S1 · E2Oct 7, 20260:4715 plays Preview

Why the Shower Curtain Attacks You

The curtain billows inward the moment the water starts. Evan tests the three competing explanations, including a tiny indoor tornado, and tells you which one survived the evidence.

S1 · E1Jul 23, 20260:4621 plays Members

The Kettle That Goes Quiet Before It Boils

Why does a kettle get loud, then quiet, then loud again? Evan follows a bubble from the hot element to the surface and explains the collapsing steam that makes the noise.

About the show

Why the Kettle Sings is a weekly physics show about objects you touch every day and never think about. Evan Castellano, a former high school physics teacher from Albuquerque who now builds museum exhibits, takes one thing per episode, a kettle, a bicycle, a shower curtain, a spoon in a microwave, and spends 25 to 30 minutes explaining what is physically going on. The format is solo and conversational, with a recorded experiment in each episode that you can repeat at home with no special equipment, and a listener question at the end. Evan avoids equations on air and instead reaches for pictures, sounds and the occasional bad analogy he then corrects. The show is for parents who get asked why by their kids, students who found physics dry, and adults who suspect the world is more interesting than it looks. No prior knowledge needed, only a kitchen and some curiosity.

Listen on

RSS feed

Any podcast app can follow this show with its RSS feed, even before it appears in a directory.

Hosted by