Category Archives: Physics

What is St. Elmo’s Fire?

What is St. Elmo’s Fire? Well its not a 1980s “brat pack” movie, and it certainly has nothing to do with Sesame Street. In fact, St. Elmo’s Fire is a fascinating weather phenomenon that results from electrical charges in Earth’s atmosphere.  During (or shortly before/after) a thunderstorm, the difference in electrical charges between the air…

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Nuclear Fusion Here on Earth

Though nuclear fusion is most often talked about as something that takes place in the cores of stars, many people don’t realize that nuclear fusion has been produced by people here on Earth since the 1940s. Unfortunately for the first several decades that fusion occurred on Earth, it only served the purpose of destruction. Although … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Here on Earth Continue reading

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Fusion vs. Fission

The nuclear energy can be generated in two ways – fusion and fission. Both fusion and fission energy are generated by altering atoms. What is the difference between fusion and fission? And which way will generate more energy? As the word “fission” means separate a thing into different parts, nuclear fission means releases energy by … Continue reading Fusion vs. Fission Continue reading

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Measuring the Interior of the Earth

It is very hard to drill to the deepest part of the Earth. However, there are some indirect measurements that allow us to know limited information about the interior structure of the Earth. One of those is the measurement of seismic waves. By knowing the characteristic of seismic waves, we are able to identify the properties … Continue reading Measuring the Interior of the Earth Continue reading

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Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion refers to the nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number elements fuse to form a heavier nucleus.  This reactions releases energy and is how the sun and other stars generate light and heat.  Energy is produced during the smashing of the lighter atoms, which is most easily achieved on Earth … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading

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Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion refers to the nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number elements fuse to form a heavier nucleus.  This reactions releases energy and is how the sun and other stars generate light and heat.  Energy is produced during the smashing of the lighter atoms, which is most easily achieved on Earth … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading

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How Close Are We to Nuclear Fusion Reactors?

Harnessing nuclear energy as an energy source has long been an idea surrounded in mystery and fear. Very few people actually know how nuclear power plants work, but many people know how catastrophic nuclear reactor meltdowns can be. However, the kind of nuclear energy we can currently control in nuclear power plants is only one … Continue reading How Close Are We to Nuclear Fusion Reactors? Continue reading

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How Close Are We to Nuclear Fusion Reactors?

Harnessing nuclear energy as an energy source has long been an idea surrounded in mystery and fear. Very few people actually know how nuclear power plants work, but many people know how catastrophic nuclear reactor meltdowns can be. However, the kind of nuclear energy we can currently control in nuclear power plants is only one … Continue reading How Close Are We to Nuclear Fusion Reactors? Continue reading

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Shine on, Crazy Diamond

All the light we see and information we receive in our day to day lives is all thanks to the sun- but do we ever really stop to think what allows the sun to produce to light we so rely on? The sun actually relies heavily on quantum physics to even exist- which sounds very […] Continue reading

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What are cosmic rays?

WHAT ARE COSMIC RAYS? One of the more mysterious subjects from our last reading was that of cosmic rays.  To be quite honest, before encountering this in our textbook I had never considered cosmic rays outside of the context of the Marvel Universe.  But it turns out that cosmic rays are more than just a…

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