Physics is the science of matter, energy, space and time. It looks both inward and outward, from the smallest subatomic particle to the vastness of the universe—and yet it is also intensely practical. Physics begins with the everyday physical world around us—the blue of the sky, the colors of the rainbow, the fall of an apple, the motions of the moon. What's happening here? Why do things work this way?
Professor Joe Incandela gives an overview of the decades-long, worldwide effort to construct and operate the LHC accelerator and the ATLAS and CMS experiments that together represent the largest, most complex systems ever built for physics research.
Fire is one of humankind’s first technologies. We have been staring into the proverbial campfire for thousands of years. Yet, surprisingly there seems to be much more to learn. And now it’s becoming even more important to our collective future that we know as much as we can about fire.
Physicists have succeeded in creating a vortex knot — a feat akin to tying a smoke ring into a knot. Linked and knotted vortex loops have existed in theory for more than a century, but creating them in the laboratory had previously eluded scientists.
By adding carbon fiber to concrete mixture, a slab of concrete is able to conduct electricity. “Smart concrete” has many potential applications, including helping structural engineers to identify trouble spots in a concrete structure long before stress or cracking is visible to the human eye.
Particle detected that could supply a missing piece of the cosmic puzzle.
Projectile motion allows hockey players to shoot the puck with a high rate of precision
NASCAR corners are divided into three parts because the car's grip changes in different parts of a turn.
Bill takes apart a cheap watch to show how it works. He describes how a tiny quartz tuning fork keeps the time.
Researchers on a scientific quest to understand 'the God particle'
NSF Science Now series spotlights NSF science and engineering research and discoveries
Ken Maschke tells us what it's really like to be a civil engineer
Hockey is a game of chaos, but vectors are behind the scenes making sense of that chaos through mathematics
Bill takes apart a smartphone and explains how its accelerometer works. He also shares the essential idea underlying the MEMS production of these devices.
Decreasing the force of impact by increasing the amount of collision time
Their basic design hasn't changed much, but scientists still don't fully understand the forces that allow humans to balance atop a bicycle.
Are neutrinos really faster than the speed of light?
Bill uses a laser pointer and a bucket of glycol to show how fiber optic cables works, and how engineers use them to transmit signals across the ocean.
Scripps researchers gather geomagnetic signs to determine if Earth's magnetic field is currently headed toward a complete reversal.
Check out the range of possibilities the electromagnetic spectrum gives science
A turn on the racetrack can prevent a racecar driver from turning his head at all