The Amazing Maser
While it has become a word, laser used to be an acronym: “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”. But there is an even older technology called a maser, which …read more Continue reading The Amazing Maser
Tag Archives: Physics
Desk Top Peltier-Powered Cloud Chamber Uses Desktop Parts
There was a time when making a cloud chamber with dry ice and alcohol was one of those ‘rite of passage’ type science projects every nerdy child did. That time …read more Continue reading Desk Top Peltier-Powered Cloud Chamber Uses Desktop Parts
Models of Wave Propagation
[Stoppi] always has interesting blog posts and videos, even when we don’t understand all the German in them. The latest? Computer simulation of wave propagation (Google Translate link), which, if …read more Continue reading Models of Wave Propagation
Determine Fundamental Constants with LEDs and a Multimeter
There are (probably) less than two dozen fundemental constants that define the physics of our universe. Determining the value of them might seem like the sort of thing for large, …read more Continue reading Determine Fundamental Constants with LEDs and a Multimeter
You Are Already Traveling at the Speed of Light
Science fiction authors and readers dream of travelling at the speed of light, but Einstien tells us we can’t. You might think that’s an arbitrary rule, but [FloatHeadPhysics] shows a …read more Continue reading You Are Already Traveling at the Speed of Light
Building an Interferometer With Lego
Lego! It’s a fun toy that is popular around the world. What you may not realize is that it’s also made to incredibly high standards. As it turns out, the …read more Continue reading Building an Interferometer With Lego
Is Fire Conductive Enough To Power a Lamp?
Is fire conductive? As ridiculous that may sound at first glance, from a physics perspective the rapid oxidation process we call ‘fire’ produces a lot of substances that can reduce …read more Continue reading Is Fire Conductive Enough To Power a Lamp?
Turns Out Humans Are Terrible At Intuiting Knot Strength
We are deeply intuitively familiar with our everyday physical world, so it was perhaps a bit of a surprise when researchers discovered a blind spot in our intuitive physical reasoning: …read more Continue reading Turns Out Humans Are Terrible At Intuiting Knot Strength
Pulling Backward to Go Forward: The Brennan Torpedo Explained
The Brennan torpedo, invented in 1877 by Louis Brennan, was one of the first (if not the first) guided torpedoes of a practical design. Amazingly, it had no internal power …read more Continue reading Pulling Backward to Go Forward: The Brennan Torpedo Explained
The Stern-Gerlach Experiment Misunderstood
Two guys — Stern and Gerlach — did an experiment in 1922. They wanted to measure magnetism caused by electron orbits. At the time, they didn’t know about particles having …read more Continue reading The Stern-Gerlach Experiment Misunderstood