Physics, Fireworks, Fun

The Fourth of July is this Saturday, and I can't resist trying to inject a little physics fun into the holiday celebration. My apologies to those of you who just wanted to sit in your backyard, eat a burger, and enjoy some fireworks without mentally calculating the trajectory of your bottle rocket or trying to guess at the chemical composition of your Roman candle. Let's start with colors. Say you're a pyrotechnician. (Wow, how cool would that be? But seriously, don't try this at home. This is a.. Read more »

Quick! To the bat cave!

One of these days I'm going to tour all the underground lairs dedicated to strange and wonderful research, from the the famed LHC tunnel to the lesser-known New Mexican salt mine where scientists at the Enriched Xenon Observatory hunt for the most exotic of particle decays. Now I've got one more stop to add to my subterranean science world tour: the Sanford Laboratory. Dedicated last Monday, it's hard to believe, from looking at the pictures of the cheerful attendees in hard hats hanging out in.. Read more »

Guest Post: Coriolis Fail

This is a guest post by astropixie, one of our intrepid SPS interns, who contributes to the educational physics site Physics To GoWhen I was sixteen, I visited Australia. The first thing I did once I checked into the hotel was fill up the sink in the bathroom, throw a gum wrapper on the surface, and drain the water, watching to see which direction the wrapper would spiral downward. If it went counter-clockwise, everything I learned from public school and television would be vindicated. If not, I.. Read more »

A day at the International Submarine Races

Last weekend, travelers at a rest stop in Minnesota became alarmed when a group of college kids pulled up in a U-haul truck, carefully unloaded a large, sleek object from the back, and set to work on it with power tools. About the length of a person, it was painted white and resembled a torpedo. Fearing the worst, someone called the police. "They thought it was a bomb," said Alan Orthmann, a junior studying mechanical engineering at the University of Washington. As a cop car pulled up to the re.. Read more »

The day I met an astronaut

Okay, I admit it. When I found out that I standing just a few feet away from Megan McArthur, late of the Hubble repair mission, I freaked out just a little bit. That's the awesome thing about astronauts—they're perhaps the only scientists who have the same effect on people as celebrities do.Despite the fact that she was being assailed by space fans and eager interviewers, Megan was calm, down-to-earth, and happy to talk to whoever came up to her, whether it was a college kid, a reporter fr.. Read more »

To go green, you need (private) green

Yesterday about a hundred peoplereporters from Fortune and the New York Times, Environmental Protection Agency suits and employees of green non-profits, entrepreneurs and venture capitalistscrowded into one of the ballrooms of the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. In the hotel's main conference room, a much better-attended conference for business executives was taking place. But in Ballroom A, the flash of expensive suits was offset by a certain feeling of virtuousness. Sure, t.. Read more »

Connecting People with Science

Attention all aspiring bloggers and writers.Have you ever gazed transfixed at the intricate crystal of a snowflake and thought about its molecular structure. When you look up to the stars, do you start picturing immense orbs of hydrogen gas burning trillions of miles away? Do you ever think about the net forces acting on your bicycle while you pedal around town? Do you have a love of science that you just have to share with the world?You're not alone! Science is fascinating and everywhere you lo.. Read more »