Physics

Imagine you are travelling inside one of the raindrops. What would you see as Blimp the Dog scampers across the grass? — Frames of Reference Different observers will see different versions of the same event. Let’s say you are at one end of the park and Blimp is running towards you.

Keeping Your Feet on the Ground in The Expanse — I’m a pretty big fan of The Expanse — both the series of novels and novellas by James S.A. Corey and the TV adaptation of the first six of the nine novels. It remains the only screened adaptation of a beloved work of fiction that I can think of, where…

For this week’s experiment I tried using Chat GTP to simulate orbital dynamics! So this was harder…

The bizarre quantum behaviour of photons at the heart of linear optical quantum computing. — In this article, we’ll first introduce the idea of a beam splitter, a simple, passive, linear optical device which divides an incident ‘beam’ of light into two beams according to some reflection-transmission ratio. Such devices are pervasive in the fields of optics and photonics and are fundamental elements in many…

I know, you’re looking at this title thinking I went out of my way to AVOID physics in high school/college — why the heck would I want to learn it now??? I totally respect that. I spent 10-years teaching high school physics and every time I introduced myself I’d simply…

Have you ever been awed by the bright flash of an electric spark? It’s one of those things that makes you wonder about the mysteries of the world from a young age. But, have you ever stopped to think about what exactly electric sparks are and how they form? Let’s dive into the…