This means these three values can’t be independent; if you know two of them, you can derive the third. How do physicists deal with this? We define the…
Read more What Is the Magnetic Constant and Why Does It Matter?You can see that it’s limited by the materials in the tires and track (captured by the frictional coefficent) and the gravitational field (so, what planet you’re on).…
Read more The Physics Trick That Makes These New Super Cars So Insanely FastWe can break that diagonal motion down into horizontal and vertical portions; for now let’s just focus on the former. Say you start with a horizontal velocity (v1)…
Read more Unlock the Secret of a Gravity-Defying Parkour Stunt—With Physics!A gymnast can actually perform both of these types of rotation at the same time—that’s what makes the sport so interesting to watch. In physics, we would call…
Read more The Incredible Physics of Simone Biles’ Yurchenko Double PikeThe angle at which the light hits the panel, θ, is measured from a line perpendicular to the surface. This means you will get a maximum solar panel…
Read more No, You Can’t Have a Solar-Powered Passenger PlaneWhen the elevator is stopped, the two forces are equal and opposite, and the net force is zero. But if you’re accelerating upward, the net force must also…
Read more How to Run on the MoonJust because you see something done in a movie, that doesn’t mean you should try it yourself. Take, for example, a human running on top of a moving…
Read more Can You Really Run on Top of a Train, Like in the Movies?If you live in the US and missed the last total solar eclipse in 2017, good news! You’re about to get another chance. There will be a total…
Read more Can You View a Round Solar Eclipse Through a Square Hole?Now stretch it really hard and quickly hold it to your upper lip, which is sensitive to temperature. You will feel that it’s warmer than it was before.…
Read more Stumped by Heat Pumps?
