Calif. scientist uses physics to dodge ticket

[April 19, 2012]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A University of California San Diego scientist was able to use his math and physics knowledge to argue his way out of a $400 traffic ticket.

In a paper titled "The Proof of Innocence," senior research scientist Dmitri Krioukov successfully appealed his failure-to-stop ticket by explaining that he may have appeared to an officer that he didn't stop when he actually did, according to the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/I5ZCUw).

"All you need to know is classical mechanics and a little bit of geometry," Krioukov told the Times.

The calculations were very simple and took five to 10 minutes, and writing the four-page paper took a few hours, Krioukov said.

The time spent on the paper was a minor inconvenience considering the cost of a lawyer and the ticket, he said.

According to Krioukov's calculations, a car moving at a constant speed can appear to move in the same way as a car that is moving quickly and briefly stops before accelerating again.

Krioukov also told the judge that a campus building obstructed the officer's view of the incident.

The scientist posted his paper online for any other motorists who may be accused of running a stop sign.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/

[Associated Press]

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