Applied Physics

Muddy Physics: Why Puddles Stop Spreading

By Charles Choi, Inside Science-- If you poured a glass of water on a table, you would expect to get a puddle that spreads for a while and then stops. However, until now, the formulas that scientists used to describe the flow of fluids suggested the puddl ...

Article - Charles Choi - Jul 22 2015 - 8:00am

Lego Optics Lab: Pan/Tilt Mount

I’ll demonstrate how I built upon my Lego simple panoramic mount to create a simple pan/tilt mount for your various Lego optics lab lenses and filter holders. Follow me on Twitter: @SteveSchuler20. Parts needed 1 Lego Turntable 4 X 4 2 Lego Beams 1 X 4 2 ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Jul 20 2015 - 9:28am

Lego Optics Lab: Worm Drive Panoramic Mount

I’ll demonstrate how I built a worm drive panoramic mount out of Lego for your various Lego optics lab lens and filter holders. Some folks might find that the worm drive allows a bit more fine tuning for the rotation of the lens or mirror mounted on the w ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Jul 27 2015 - 10:30am

Lego Optics Lab: Worm Drive Pan/Tilt Mount

I’ll demonstrate how I built a worm drive pan/tilt mount out of Lego for your various Lego optics lab lens and filter holders. Some folks might find that the worm drive allows a bit more fine tuning for the rotation and tilt of the lens or mirror mounted ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Aug 4 2015 - 10:41am

Polariscope

I decided to build a polariscope for my Lego optics lab. On occasion you might need a mechanism to rotate filters such as a polarized filter and a polariscope is a simple and fun way to view the rainbow colors in clear plastic objects such as flatware, ta ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Aug 10 2015 - 3:37pm

How to get gasoline from crude oil 101

Refining oil starts with distillation Have you ever wondered why you can't just use raw crude oil in a diesel engine or why your car won't run by filling the tank with kerosene or engine oil?  If these things could be done, then in large part, w ...

Blog Post - Robert Hayes - Aug 17 2015 - 5:15pm

1859 Balloon Voyage

My wife and I went to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (“You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three”) Saturday at Conner Prairie, part of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Symphony on the Prairie summer series. We got there a bit early and ended up sweating in the h ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Aug 30 2016 - 9:28am

Electromagnetics Without Leaks- Like Throwing Pebbles In A Pond With No Splash

Physicists have found a radical new way confine electromagnetic energy without it leaking away, akin to throwing a pebble into a pond with no splash. It appears to contradict a fundamental tenet of electrodynamics, that accelerated charges create electrom ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 2 2015 - 6:33am

Bevel Gearbox Fail

Sometimes I’ll picture an idea in my head and it seems to work fine—in my head—but when I actually build it, it doesn’t turn out the way I planned. I wanted to try using a bevel gearbox as a pan and tilt mount for my Lego optics lab (as a pan/mount for my ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Aug 28 2015 - 10:45am

Magnetic Fields Provide A New Way To Communicate Wirelessly

Electrical engineers at the University of California, San Diego demonstrated a new wireless communication technique that works by sending magnetic signals through the human body. The new technology could offer a lower power and more secure way to communic ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 7 2015 - 10:30am