Little Known Facts about Me
Little Known Facts about Me
Yes, I was once certified to operate a forklift. The Physicist in me was intrigued about the dynamics of material handling and how it all works.
Way back (1992 ish) I worked as a chemical technician. Part of my responsibilities was to move large amounts of chemicals in boxes (4 gallons per box), and drums (55 gallon drums). Needless to say, I probably was in the best physical condition of my life during that 9 months or so.
But there was an upside. Since I worked off shift, I would need to drive the forklift to get my job done. So I went through the training (possibly the only person in history with a physics degree to be certified to drive a forklift), got certified, and moved a lot of product with that forklift.
I will admit, it was fun. One thing that if you are a normal person seems confusing, but for a physicist, it seemed logical was the fact that a forklift is least stable when it is not carrying anything. They tip over quite easily, and can be very hazardous to the operator and the folks nearby. However, as you approach the maximum load limit, the dynamics change, and it become the most stable it can be.
That meant when I was carrying a pallet of Freon dissolved in methanol (about 750# per 55 gallon drum), the machine was at its best performance.
Silly facts.
Hilarious, I did not know that about you, but u coulda been me. Only I think I came up earlier when you had to drive a forklift to eat (US Army, US Post Office, etc.) but then I figured it would be easier on your back and less dangerous going into chem/physics instead of trying to hold down a dirty job for life - only to realize that Physics or an Academic work was mind-bending instead of knee-hurting and just as dangerous as loading trucks with palettes of ammo. Who woulda thunk?
Very cool--I would probably get fired because I would driving it all around the place going "Wheeeeee!"