You probably haven't given much thought to the science behind a popping champagne cork. Little things like earning a living have a way of preventing us from considering such weighty matters. So, out of respect for my busy readers, I explain everything you will ever need to know about the physics behind the exploding cork in Chapter 1 of Scoundrel in the Thick. Given that it is Thomas Scoundrel uncorking the bottle (Maison Clicquot champagne, by the way), the place the cork eventually lands won't really surprise you.