The Titanic

File under Understanding the Problem

James Cameron is having a big year.  First he will soon be descending 36,000 feet down in a submersible vehicle to the most remote place on earth, Mariana's Trench.  And second, and clearly more important, is the release this year of Titanic 3-D.  Spoiler alert:  The iceberg did it.


Source

It's with that backdrop that there is a timely report, originally from Sky and Telescope magazine and later editorialized in National Geographic.  The report describes a unique celestial alignment that may have ultimately led to the Titanic disaster, and i'm not talking about the impending 3-D release of the movie. 
Almost 4 months prior to the ship colliding with an iceberg and sinking off the coast of Newfoundland, the earth, moon, and sun were perfectly aligned in a typical Full moon phase which normally causes more extreme high and low tides. However compounding this "Spring Tide" was the fact that the moon made one of the closest passes to earth since A.D. 762.  The report researchers indicated that this may have exacerbated the tides and resulted in Greenland ice chunks breaking off and setting out on the Labrador Currents, or that existing icebergs that had becomed lodged, were now freed in the high tides.  They postulated that there was an increase in ice flow into the Atlantic that may have played a part in the disaster. 

The National Geographic article was careful to include debate from other scientists that the tides may not have been that uniquely extreme during that time of that year, however even the possibility of compounding factors shows that the sinking may have been more of a Black Swan event than previously thought.  The study is a good reminder that there is rarely one cause or reason for an outcome, but rather many complex interactoins.  And that laying blame at the foot of one reason, or putting hope in one obvious cause may be just as foolish.

The Daily Physics Problem
Describe the physics behind the fact that in the movie Titanic, Jack and Rose can have sex in the very small backseat of a model T, yet can't seem to make room for each other on, what seems like, a sizeable floating piece of wood at the end of the movie.    

The Cliff Claven Fact of the Day
It's a little known fact that in April it will be the 100th anniversary of the sinking, and even more amazing, this year is the 15th anniversary of the movie. 
The Song of the Day
In honor of the Titanic, the song of the day is Celine Dion's "My Heart..."  Sorry, i can't do that with a straight face.  The song of the day is Wyclef Jean's "Anything Can Happen."