Worth A Look Features

Breaking Glass with Sound

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

You don’t have to be an opera singer to break a glass with sound. Watch Breaking Glass with Sound from MIT TechTV, and be sure to watch the strobe light camera imagery at the end. For more sound demonstration videos, see this Physics Demonstration Video page from Wake Forest University.

Basic Nuclear Science Information

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

There are two types of nuclear reactions: fission and fusion. Fission is used in nuclear power plants; fusion is the reaction process powering the sun. Learn about these processes and more at Basic Nuclear Science Information.

X Rays: Another Form of Light

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

X-ray astronomy helps astronomers see a complete picture of the universe. Find out more at X Rays: Another Form of Light, and explore the mission of the Chandra X-ray Observatory with this activity. To learn more about the x-ray sky, watch the High-Energy Groovy Movie. (Be patient--it's a slow download.)

Cloaking and Invisibility: Fact and Fiction

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

We might not have to steal Star Trek cloaking technology from the Romulans after all. Cloaking and Invisibility: Fact and Fiction , from a research group at Duke University, outlines our current understanding of the technology and their research efforts, examining cloaking technology in science fiction along the way. For more on the physics of invisibility cloaks, see this article from PhysOrg.com.

The Physics of Sandcastles

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Here's a practical application for the physics of sand—learn how you can make the ultimate sandcastle at Sandcastle Physics Revealed and The Physics of Sandcastles.

Benjamin Franklin and Electrostatics

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Benjamin Franklin’s work with electricity was not limited to flying a kite in the middle of a storm. Find out what else he did to contribute to our knowledge of electricity at this page from Tufts University, which includes his writings and experiments.

'Impossibly Perfect' Crystals Found in Nature

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Quasicrystals were once thought to exist only in laboratories, but now they have been discovered in nature. Read the full story at 'Impossibly Perfect' Crystals Found in Nature.

Earth Observatory: Plume from Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Ol Doinyo Lengai is a unique volcano on Earth – it is the only volcano with cool, carbon-based lava. Learn more about it here, and be sure to check out this picture of a 2007 eruption.

Consequences of Rotation for Weather

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

See Consequences of Rotation for Weather to find out how the turning of the Earth affects weather. - Hurricanes are caused in part by rotation. - The ITCZ contributes to seasonal rainfall near the equator. Read more here. - See how the ITCZ, trade winds, pressure systems, and precipitation influence each other throughout the year at this interactive page.

Atmospheric Optics: Rays and Shadows

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

See pictures and detailed explanations of atmospheric phenomena at Atmospheric Optics: Rays and Shadows. Many of the optical effects are caused by scattering sunlight.

Supernovae

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

You might enjoy visiting the Supernovae page, provided by the Goddard Space Flight Center, to learn why some stars die in a supernova explosion and how neutron stars are formed. - Find out what specific star masses lead to which death at You Are My Shining Star, published by the American Physical Society. - For more detailed information, see these pages on Solar-Mass Star death and High-Mass Star death from the Australia Telescope National Facility. - Ready to test your knowledge of stellar evolution? Check out this evolution stage sequencing activity from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

Global Warming, Clouds and Albedo: Feedback Loops

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

For diagrams of Earth's water cycle and energy budget, with explanations, see Global Warming, Clouds and Albedo: Feedback Loops.

A Nanotube Space Elevator

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:00:00 EST

Check out A Nanotube Space Elevator for a video, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, describing how nanotubes might be used to construct a tether for a space elevator. To see an artist's conception, but without the tether, visit NASA's Space Elevator.

Impulse of Force

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 EST

To learn more about impulse, visit the Hyperphysics page Impulse of Force.

What is UPSeis?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit What is UPSeis? to learn about earthquake science--you'll find out how earthquakes occur, how to read a seismograph, and how to locate the epicenter of an earthquake. To see how plate tectonics has shaped the Earth's surface, visit Plate Tectonics, the Cause of Earthquakes, from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Gallery of Fluid Motion

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit the Gallery of Fluid Motion--"when science creates art."

Sun-Earth Day

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

In 2009, Sun-Earth Day is March 20 (the spring equinox). To learn more about this annual special event, see this NASA online flyer .

Momentum Conservation Principle

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit Momentum Conservation Principle to find out about the connection between action reaction forces and the conservation of linear momentum. By the way, this is the Year of Science 2009.

Written In Dust

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit Written In Dust to find out how measurements of interplanetary dust accumulated at the ocean bottom provide information about the history of Earth's geology and climate. For more on the dust, see this Astronomy Picture of the Day. By the way, we are now in the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Birefringence

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

For more on birefringence and polarization, see the Davidson page Birefringence and the Hyperphysics page Birefringence.

Waves and Photons

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

For further information on the photon, visit Waves and Photons from From Stargazers to Starships. (Start at the second section, "Electromagnetic Waves."). Also See Hyperphysics' Wave Particle Duality.

Physics in Action: Seeing Atoms

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

Visit Physics in Action: Seeing Atoms to find out why we can't see atoms with light, and how the scanning tunneling microscope works. Also, don't miss the images in IBM's STM Gallery.

Secret Worlds

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

Visit Secret Worlds, from Florida State University, for a slide show/animation starting far out in the universe and progressively moving in--along the way you'll get a great view of the solar system at different scales. For a similar set of slides, visit the Eames Office Powers of Ten.

The Standard Model of Particle Physics

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

Visit The Standard Model of Particle Physics and "Big Bang experiment starts well" for BBC articles on the standard model of particle physics and how the LHC experiments will test it. For more, see Symmetry magazine.

Molecular Expressions: Introduction to Fluorescence

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST

See Molecular Expressions: Introduction to Fluorescence for a description of fluorescence in terms of photon absorption and emission and atomic energy levels, including a related Java simulation, and an introduction to fluorescent microscopy. For more on this last subject, see Fluorescent Microscopy.