I've mention in a previous post how poorly magic and physics mix. That being said, there are many variations on how magic works depending on what fiction you're referring to. In most fictions I've seen, practicing magic tends to simply require a lot of mental focus and memorizing a few words. This concept is entirely impossible in the real world if the fundamental laws of physics hold true. Energy can't be created or destroyed, simply changed. Magic tends to make things move with no physical cau
Of all the tv shows we watch, each and every one retains varying levels of accuracy with respect to physics. Here's my personal reflection on the accuracy of some shows I watch:
The Big Bang Theory:
The big bang theory is a hilarious comedy relating to the lives of social awkward phsyicists. We don't have any problems with someone leaping too far out of a window or something blowing up when it shouldn't because... well that stuff doesn't happen in the big bang theory. Noteably, however, is a
Yes, this has indefinitely been proven impossible, but just how impossible?
Google appears to have failed me for actual statistics on the infamous gun used in Wanted for the curved bullet, so lets just say this pistol has a muzzle velocity of 250 m/s (810 ft/s). Lets also say the barrel length is 5". So the bullet sits at rest with a velocity of 0 to 250 m/s over 5". That means in .000508 seconds (v=(x/t)=> x/v=t) the bullet got to the end of the barrel. Which also means it had an accelera
Aside from the snazzy suit, you know who you're looking at is Spiderman as soon as stick webbing starts shooting from his hands.
So if Spiderman does manage to shoot web through his spandexy-body-suit, this webbing must be seriously strong. For one, it can be shot through the air quick enough to go in relatively straight lines, and then miraculously latch on to some sort of object, and THEN can hold all of Spiderman's bulk!
Spiderman is a hero, so he's probably around 5'10 and weighs 160 p
I've always just kind of assumed nature optimized the way all things are formed for what they're designed to do. Apparently, however, this is not the case.
Though it's a myth that bumble bees shouldn't be able to fly with their rather small wings and rather large body, the way in which they do fly is incredibly inefficient. Essentially they move around the air through sheer brute force. Not only are their wings unsynchronized, but the way in which they flap i makes it impossible for air flow
To be completely honest, I was getting to a point where the Lewin videos--though extremely helpful--were making me want to fall asleep. However this guy is kind of a genius, and to prove that he deserves some of our appreciation, I though I'd share that he has a fun side as well!
Now, don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the genius of this handsome devil's creation, and honestly I'm not too educated in all the details. However, part of what makes fiction so great is being able to imagine it being feasible ..and that's not so easy when you have even a basic understanding of physics. Honestly, every experience I've had watching a superman movie starts of fantastic, and then gets interrupted by some obnoxious little inconceivable detail that drives me insane and ruins the
Yesterday I went skiing for the first time (and no, I did NOT look that cool). And somehow as I was going down the slopes (very VERY slowly with lots of falling involved), I realized there's a LOT more physics going on that one would think initially.
For one, there's a LOT of friction problems. Obviously the goal of most skiers is minimal friction, and therefore go faster! However that was NOT my goal, considering speed led to panic which lead to crazy turns which lead to the unavoidable fall.
With a little digging, I was able to figure out how transitions lenses really work on this website:
http://en-us.transitions.com/Why-Transitions/The-Technology/Photocromic-tech/
To sum it up, within the lenses are photochromic molecules. These molecules react to UV rays and actually change their structure when exposed, which is what causes the lens to darken.
And some fundamentals of weather still play into effect. When it's hot, the lenses react more quickly because the heat allows molec
For some of us, taking the lovely AP-C Physics course was simply to have that shiny passing grade to rub in the face of colleges and use to squeeze out some money from them--a "hey look I'm s-m-r-t!" badge if you will. Nearly everyone in the class thought about it economically when considering taking it; taking it in highschool is FAR cheaper than in college, and allows more focus on new materials, maybe it'll draw some scholarships, help get a job ect. But physics goes beyond that. Here's a lis
Physics plays a huge roll in skiing--and yes, I've posted about such before, but a 3 day ski trip really struck some new physics relations home.
Revelation one:
When turning, bending the knees into the turn, and standing up out of the turn actually makes the turn far more efficent and more fun. Part of the efficiency is simply Newton's law--every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. By bending, you're thus using your body weight to turn more forcefully with the aid of the shape and d
I've been pondering this for a while and be it because I haven't really looked at equations nor truly tried applying equations in creative ways, I've stumbled across a relationship I can't seem to figure out (maybe someone could answer it with a blog? {I'm such a nice person}).
So I have a volvo s60, and for its size, its a pretty hefty car. Being so massive, my dad has often preached what a splendid winter car it is, as its weight increases friction and thus provides better traction in bad w
1) The course is HARD-- and it doesn't get easier as you go along. The longer you wait, the harder it gets, and the more you'll have to do.
2) Deterrence-- as this challenging work gets harder and harder, you're going to be less and less inclined to do it. Think about it, I'd be far more proactive about climbing a 5 foot cliff than a 100 foot cliff, if you do it in chunks it won't seem so bad.
3) Imagination-block-- if you have ANYTHING creative to do (like blog posts for example), you're
Does anyone else feel it too? End of the year syndrome... it's kinda like senioritis, except anyone can get it. Essentially what it means is a complete and total lack of motivation to do anything whatsoever. I don't know about you, but it's hitting me hard right now, with 5 days left of school and numerous projects not yet completed.
So lets remind ourselves why we like physics, shall we?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Zf1f3-JYs
Because physics is everywhere, and it can be funny!
But
Ice skating has a lot of obvious physics involved.
For one, you could easily look at the centripital motion invovled when a figure skater spins. Conservation of angular momentum plays a huge roll in how they control the speed of their spins, but we've all heard that before.
There's physics involved in the very fundamental movement of iceskates. When you iceskate, you put a lot of pressure on a very small, thin surface area. This force, as well as the friction between the blade and the ice
I can't believe I didn't think of this as a subject earlier, I did LOTS of physics in my astronomical imaging internship!
Okay, well, in reality I more looked at images and programs and readings, I didn't actually DO the physics, but there's a lot of physics behind what I did.
My internship was focused on assisting with research around the stellar phase called planetary nebula. This is a post-red-giant phase of smaller stars. The majority of the gases within the star have been burned up or
