Another Video Analysis Tutorial
In this tutorial I analyze a moving cart that shoots a ball up and lands back in the moving cart (called a Howitzer cart).
Rhett Allain is an associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He enjoys teaching and talking about physics. Sometimes he takes things apart and can't put them back together. ... Read More
How Do Metal Detectors Work?
What sneaky invisible forces enable these instruments to locate buried treasure?
In Orbit You Have to Slow Down to Speed Up
Driving a spacecraft around a planet isn’t anything like driving on a planet. A physicist explains orbital navigation.
Unpicking How to Measure the Complexity of Knots
Two mathematicians have proved that a straightforward question—how hard is it to untie a knot?—has a complicated answer.
The Hidden Math of Ocean Waves
The math behind even the simplest ocean waves is notoriously uncooperative. A team of Italian mathematicians has made major advances toward understanding it.
Physicists Create a Thermometer for Measuring ‘Quantumness’
“Anomalous” heat flow, which at first appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, gives physicists a way to detect quantum entanglement without destroying it.
Can a Hydroelectric Dam Really Make the Days Longer?
By shifting water to a higher elevation, the giant Three Gorges Dam caused the Earth to spin more slowly.
The ‘10 Martini’ Proof Connects Quantum Mechanics With Infinitely Intricate Mathematical Structures
The proof, known to be so hard that a mathematician once offered 10 martinis to whoever could figure it out, uses number theory to explain quantum fractals.
The Physics of the Northern Lights
Solar winds at a million miles an hour and freaky magnetic turbulence are sparking some of the best light shows in centuries.
Hurricane Melissa Has Meteorologists Terrified
The storm, which is set to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, has stunned meteorologists with its intensity and the speed at which it built.
Climate Change Made Hurricane Melissa 4 Times More Likely, Study Suggests
Unusually warm ocean temperatures fueled one of the worst hurricanes on record. New research finds climate change increased the storm’s likelihood.
An Invasive Disease-Carrying Mosquito Has Spread to the Rocky Mountains
The Aedes aegypti mosquito that can carry dengue, yellow fever, and Zika was thought to be too reliant on a hot and wet climate to survive in the Mountain West. But now, a population is thriving in Western Colorado.
The First Radio Signal From Comet 3I/Atlas Ends the Debate About Its Nature
An observatory detected the first radio signal from the interstellar object 3I/Atlas. Here’s what it means.