Crowd Dynamics: Move Along

1. According to crowd dynamics expert Dr. Keith G. Still, what is the leading cause of death in crowding incidents such as rushes, crushes or stampedes? a. Crushing b. Head injuries c. Asphyxiation

d. Internal injuries

2. In an April 2001 crowd crush at a South African football match that killed at least 43, about how many people were pushing their way into Ellis Park Stadium, capacity 68,000? a. 70,000 b. 80,000

c. 90,000 d. 120,000

3. According to reports, what was a likely cause of a stampede that killed six children in a stairwell at a school in China in November 2006? a. One child bending over to tie a shoelace on the stairs b. Children lighting firecrackers that startled the crowd c. A locked door at the bottom of the stairs preventing kids from getting out

d. Kids rushing because they were excited for the last day of school

4. Rank the following by the average amount of area they take up in a standing position, from most area to least. a. Japanese males b. British males c. Swiss females d. Polish males

e. French females

5. True or False: Braess’s paradox can be summarized as “The fewer people entering a space, the more routes they’ll take to get there.”

6. According to Dr. Still, how long can a space endure high density (four people per square meter) before it should be considered a safety concern? a. 30 seconds b. 6 minutes c. 20 minutes

d. 1 hour

7. About how many liters of air does a crowd of 80,000 breathe in every second? a. 500 b. 2,500

c. 7,700 d. 9,300

8. True or False: You can anticipate distress in a crowd by a rising pitch of the collective noise that comes from its members, a phenomenon called “hive noise.”

9. Which of the following is a term for fear of crowds? a. Demophobia b. Agoraphobia c. Enochlophobia

d. All of the above

10. How many people could convene comfortably in a 150 square meter kitchen, during a party, according to licensing authorities? a. 100 b. 75 c. 50 d. 25

Bonus question: According to a poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, what was it “no stranger in the crowd could doubt”?

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