A Quantum Magic 8-Ball
If you ever cracked open one of those Magic 8-Ball toys, you found little more than a polyhedron floating in some dark-colored fluid. It was a quasi-random way of asking …read more Continue reading A Quantum Magic 8-Ball
Tag Archives: Physics
Patterns Everywhere
I studied physics in college, and I’m always surprised how fundamental some of the concepts are. Take waves for example. You really wouldn’t expect the same underlying concept to be …read more Continue reading Patterns Everywhere
Does this Electron Make Me Look Fat? Weighing an Electron
[The Signal Path] shows us how to recreate a classic science experiment to measure the weight of an electron. Things are easier for us, because unlike [J. J. Thomson] in …read more Continue reading Does this Electron Make Me Look Fat? Weighing an Electron
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
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?