Applied Physics

You learned in high school that light has a dual nature - it exists as both waves and photons. It is this duality of light that enables the coherent transport of photons in lasers.  Physicists…

This build is a simplified Leeuwenhoek microscope made from CD-ROM drive parts and construction toys. My initial design was simply a rectangle of corrugated cardboard with a hole punched in it and…

Heat engines transform heat into mechanical energy with the corresponding efficiency of an Otto engine amounting to only about 25 percent, which is what your automobile gets. The efficiency of heat…

When E. F. Thompson stood on the deck of a ship cruise ship the Indian Ocean in the 1930s and observed a dolphin speed past the vessel in 7 seconds, he had no idea that this single observation would…

What would make snakes scarier? For spiders, the answer is easy. If you see one big enough to be feasting on Orc flesh in the caves under Mt. Doom, run, but snakes are tougher to make scary because…

I was able to find the EYESPY Spydercam at Goodwill. Several hacks for it came to mind, but the simplest is attaching it to a remote control vehicle. I have an old Lego remote control car that’s been…

Why does beer transform from a liquid to a foamy state after an impact? Science is on the wave propagation case. As you know, if you shake a carbonated beverage, it will foam over when you open it.…

A new battery that runs on sugar has an "unmatched energy density", according to the team behind it. Other sugar batteries have been developed but energy density has always been the problem. There is…

Researchers recently got 54 volunteers to try on free shoes. But this wasn't for fun, it was for a biomechanical study of the shoes manufactured by the Majorcan Camper brand. The six designs of men's…

Comic book heroes get into all kinds of crazy situations, everything from alien invaders to losing their powers. Most often, though, might simply makes right -  but what happens when the thing…