212 results found for physics

Neutrinos have been the origin of an impressive number of ‘surprises’.  We know that neutrinos have tiny masses and that oscillations are occurring spontaneously between neutrino species.  But additional new discoveries may be ahead of us and t....

F=ma (laws 1&2). Forces come in pairs that add to zero (3). Newton's laws apply in inertial frames of reference. Some common approximations made in applying them.

Interview with Nicolaas Bloembergen, USA, who shared half of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1981 with Arthur Leonard Schawlow, USA 'for their contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy' He discusses the technical developments of his work ....

Kelly Schwirian presents on nuclear power in the United States.

A significant proportion of our electricity is generated by thermonuclear reactions. The dangers attached to these processes and the radioactive products are well known and publicised. Much less well known are the measures taken to ensure that the hi....

The use of gamma-ray spectroscopy to study the structure of less well-known nuclei.

An overview of the low energy structure nuclear structure nphysics at Florida State University by a graduate student. The nparticle accelerator as well as certain nuclear experiments are described nto give insight into the research possibilities avai....

Throughout the 20th century it was widely accepted that a light microscope relying on conventional optical lenses cannot discern details that are much finer than about half the wavelength of light (200-400 nm), due to diffraction. However, in the 199....

In this talk Wilson Sibbett introduces some of the underlying concepts that have enabled us to develop practical ultrafast lasers and a selection of applications that range from the fundamentals of chemical bonding to weapons decommissioning!

Inertia and restoring forces can, with low friction or damping, lead to oscillations and resonance. We analyse the mechanics of vibrations.

Jonathan makes some simple paper windmills/turbines and experiments with a simple generator to power house hold devices such as torches, calculators and even a radio.

Parabolic surfaces can be used to concentrate energy for example to focus sunlight to heat things. Using an old World War II spot light mirror we demonstrate how easy it it is to concentrate enough energy to cause combustion. Finally, we show how to ....

Dr Cristina Lazzeroni, a Royal Society University Research Fellow from the University of Birmingham, reveals the secrets of the world's largest accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider and how the LHC experiments hope to answer big questions about the ....

Some minerals such as quartz can produce electricity simply by squeezing or bending them - these are called piezoelectric crystals. Here is a simple and cheap demonstration you can do.

Plastics - or, more correctly, polymers have traditionally been used by the electronics industry as passive materials. Now however, new types of polymers have been discovered which behave as semiconductors. For example, they can emit light when subje....

When two different types of conductors are pushed into a potato chemical reactions take place charging them up - we have a simple electrochemical cell. A potato, zinc screw and carbon rod produce about 1V. We experiment joining a few of these cells u....

Some seeds of what to do in the climate/energy controversy are contained in what will be.  In this talk I shall ask everyone to jump over contemporary politics and make a mental journey to a time, several centuries from now, when nobody uses carbon-....

Motion with uniform acceleration, such as in a uniform gravitational (or electric) field is projectile motion, analysed here with examples.

Frequency, amplitude, envelope and spectrum affect pitch, loudness and timbre. All are discussed and quantified here.

Two of the great scientific and technical revolutions of the 20th century were the discovery of the quantum nature of the submicroscopic world, and the advent of information science and engineering. Both of these have had a profound effect not only o....

The quantum spin Hall effect is a topological state of matter characterized by sustaining gapless chiral edge states together with an insulating bulk. This phase can be triggered out by applying strong magnetic fields in a graphene sample

They're awesome to have in the kitchen, but did you ever wonder how your microwave actually works? This is a quick introduction to the theory that makes our home microwave ovens possible. Here, Daniel covers the differences between microwave heati....

A light-hearted look at the difference between real and ideal gases.

Abbie describes why bridges must be designed to counteract the effects of unwanted vibrations.