The physics behind the Astroworld tragedy: When crowds behave like a fluid, people can wind up powerless

Travis Scott performs during the Astroworld music festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, on November 5, 2021.
Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Astroworld was so densely packed that concertgoers couldn't move or execute independent choices.
The crowd behaved like a fluid, with waves of pressure and release.Attributing crowd surges solely to "mass panic" places false blame on victims.
There's a scientific explanation for last week's deadly crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston.When peopl