Applied Physics

A Rotational and Translational motion is standalone natural phenomenon For this experiment, two identically thin cylinders which are initially static to the observer are taken. These cylinders are attached with internal mechanical springs that induce a repulsive action between them. Two experiments are to be conducted. The first experiment. An action that repels the two cylinders is initiated. This action is induced from their center of mass. Now the cylinders are observed to move in directions opposite to each other. Based on the law of conservation of momentum, the translational…

Why is the Fourier Transform so useful both in theoretical and applied science and engineering?  In short, often it is more convenient to solve a problem in Fourier space than the space of the problem's original formulation.  In this case, one prescription to attack the problem is to convert the representation of the problem to Fourier space, solve the problem in Fourier space (where presumably it is simpler to solve) and then convert back to the original basis. The Fourier Transform may be expressed as: But, what really is this operation of performing a  Fourier Transform…

It's World Series time, which means it's time to talk about physics and baseball once again.    This season, among other things, we've covered the farthest homerun ever hit and how fast a pitcher really can throw (1) and today we're going to cover the curveball.   But that's more that just physics, it's also vision. So when you are watching this week, you may wonder whose curveball breaks harder,  the Yankees' A.J. Burnett or the Phillies' Cole Hamels.   The answer will be a disappointing neither.  Some of it is a trick of the eye. First, what is a curve ball?…

Art is many things, but not often enough is it scientific. Fear not, art/science lovers, for Sir Isaac's Loft in the Franklin Institute is here to save the day! I began describing the Loft in my previous article, including impossible human tricks to try at work or at the bar and amaze your friends! But there's so much more...read on. Illusions The eyes of the "inside out dragon" followed me no matter where I walked, which would have been creepy, but he was a cute little blue dragon. Since we aren't used to seeing things inverted, our brains turn the dragon right side out, and it looks "normal…

Science and art aren't mutually exclusive. You can demonstrate scientific concepts artistically, and sometimes even physics can be phun. Take, for example, Sir Isaac's Loft, a feature in the Franklin Institute that "blends art and science into a 3,600 square feet display of aesthetic innovation." And with awesome exhibit names like the "Bowling Ball of Doom," how can you go wrong? I was definitely not the only adult in the room. And at one point I may have tried to stare down a five year old who wanted to play with the same exhibit I was engaged in, but I admit to nothing. (When you're the…

Did you even know there was a discipline called paleomagnetics?   Probably not.(1)   It isn't easy to find a category on this site to put it in, that's for sure. But a discipline it is and it even has its own controversies, as all science must; namely, the nature of Earth's magnetic field 1.1 billion years ago. The Earth's magnetic field in two sentences:   it wraps around the globe and helps shield us from cosmic rays - lest we all burst into flame or turn into orange rock and say things like, "It's clobberin' time!"   If you don't have superpowers or look like a…

Transitions are exciting because at temperatures close to absolute zero the transition from one quantum phase to another can provide a deeper understanding of fundamental laws of the universe.  A team of scientists at the University of Chicago has created the first direct images of the transition between phases of ultracold cesium gas, as it changes from normal to superfluid to Mott insulator, making it possible to 'see' the phenomenon as it happens.    The most striking visual feature of this phase transition?  A many-layered wedding cake structure. A Mott insulator is a…

Highways and roads cost money but it's never a bad idea to save some cost and inconvenience using optimal design and materials which leads to fewer repairs.   Unfortunately there haven't been any great methods for determining how strongly (and safely) roads were built but a scientist in Sweden has developed a method where sound waves can reveal what a road looks like underneath and thereby show whether it is being properly built. According to the Swedish Road Administration, the method, which is expected to become the new standard, may entail major quality enhancements and cost…

Scientists have observed ferromagnetism in an atomic gas for the first time, addressing the decades-old question of whether gases could show properties similar to a magnet made of iron or nickel. A team observed the ferromagnetic behavior in a gas of lithium atoms cooled to 150 billionth of 1 Kelvin above absolute zero (-273 degrees C or -459 degrees F). Team members used the lithium-6 isotope, which consists of three protons, three neutrons and three electrons. Since the number of constituents is odd, lithium-6 is a fermion — a class of exotic particles that have a half-integral spin — and…

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