Tag Archives: physics

How Nuclear Power Plants Work (and they work very well!)

By Ryan | Published: March 21, 2011

Nuclear power has a bad reputation. Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and now Fukushima in Japan bring up the worst fears of tapping atomic energy. However, I feel optimistic about the future of nuclear power generators as a solution to our energy and pollution woes. So does France, apparently, which is generating 77% of its electricity [...]

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The Simplest of the Simple Machines

By Ryan | Published: January 19, 2011
0194-inclined-plane

Fun Fact: If the movie Rocky had been about wheelchair boxing (yes, it does exist!) then, according to the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the famous training montage would have climaxed with a dramatic roll up a 672 foot long wheelchair ramp to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Okay everybody, get yourself a [...]

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A microscopic look at snowflakes reveals wonderfulness

By Ryan | Published: January 14, 2011
0193-snowflakes

In an earlier article, I mentioned that at the heart of every snowflake is a speck of dust. After talking with some readers, it turns out that wasn’t so “common knowledge” as I had thought. I’m happy to say, there’s much more to that little tid-bit. At the core of every snowflake is a speck [...]

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Twelve Drummers Drumming – Twelve Facts of Christmas

By Ryan | Published: January 5, 2011

Drummers drum simply because that’s what drummers do. If they weren’t drumming, they would no longer be called drummers. If a plumber stops plumbing and begins drumming, I would say at that moment, he is a drummer. Now, if that plumber was locked inside a sound-proof room with no doors or windows, with a drum, [...]

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Galileo Says Size Matters. Elephants and Jell-o Agree.

By Ryan | Published: September 2, 2010

In 1638 Galileo Galilei, who is called the Father of Science, published the Square-Cube Law. Frankly, it’s not particularly clever as scientific discoveries go. It’s an observation that big things are bigger than small things. However, the particular way in which objects scale does create a few interesting implications. I’m going to explain the concept [...]

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What is Light made of?

By Ryan | Published: August 25, 2010

Yesterday as I was writing an overview of Electromagnetic waves (which manifest as radio, heat, light, and more depending on the wavelength) but I left myself with the question of what “stuff” makes up these waves. As I discovered, I can give you two different answers that are, apparently, both correct. Now, just a quick [...]

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The Wide World of Electromagnetic Wavelengths

By Ryan | Published: August 24, 2010

Question: What do the following things have in common? Hearing an ad for “Armor Hot Dogs” played over the radio. Cooking some hot dogs in the microwave oven. Roasting hot dogs over a campfire. Seeing mustard stains on your shirt from that hot dog you ate. Tanning on the beach after going to the hot [...]

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