Category Archives: Physics

Nuclear Fusion

Posted on February 27, 2023 by zws42

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers our sun, as well as all the other stars in the Universe. At the most basic level, nuclear fusion is the combination of two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier one along with a release of energy. This reaction is governed by Einstein’s E=mc^2 equation, where some […] Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion

The Wave-Particle Duality of Light

Posted on February 13, 2023 by jackdoyle25

In common perception, most things in our universe fall into two fundamental categories: energy and matter. Energy could be electricity, heat, sound waves, or kinetic motion. Matter is generally a descriptor of things made up from atoms, such as planets or stars or humans ourselves. However, looking at these on a more fundamental level, the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Light, Physics | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Wave-Particle Duality of Light

Black Body Radiation, analyzing the Universe at Long Distance

Posted on February 12, 2023 by noahherrero

Illustration of Supermassive BlackHole Formation (An Ideal Black Body) from GOODS Source: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Scuola Normale Superiore/Pacucci, F. et al, Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss Optical: NASA/STScI; Celestial Bodies throughout the universe are extraordinarily far away, yet despite this we are able to describe these objects with precision. The reason this is possible is because the radiation of these […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Black Body Radiation, analyzing the Universe at Long Distance

The Slingshot Maneuver

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Alex Diefenbach

For any of you who have seen the movie adaption of, “A Wrinkle In Time” may remember the scene where two of the protagonists hide in a tree stump in order to be thrown over a wall. Meg, one of these protagonists, has parents who work in quantum theory, so she has picked up knowledge […] Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Slingshot Maneuver

Roche Limit

Posted on February 12, 2023 by aaronxu041009

In science fiction novels and movies, we occasionally see a planet or a moon being teared into pieces due to it being to close to a star or a larger planet. In the newly premiered Chinese sci-fi movie The Wandering Earth II, our moon potentially gets torn into chunks as it moves closer to the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, SolarSystem | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Roche Limit

Retrograde motion

Posted on February 12, 2023 by shuhuaiwang

Retrograde motion is one of the apparent motions of pla […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics | Tagged , | Comments Off on Retrograde motion

Nuances of Thermal Energy

Posted on February 12, 2023 by cuia2

Today I learned about the nuances of thermal energy that answered a forgotten question from my childhood. When I was little I was always afraid to stick my hand inside a hot oven because I knew how badly my tongue gets burned whenever I drink something hot. However, when I finally did stick my hand […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General, Physics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nuances of Thermal Energy

The polarization of light

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Andrew Cascio

Light waves travel through electric and magnetic fields that vibrate perpendicular from each other. As an electromagnetic wave, like all waves, light’s vibration has a direction along with its frequency and wavelength. We often imagine waves moving up and down vertically, like a wave on the shore, but this is not always the case. Specifically, […] Continue reading →

Posted in Light, Observables, Physics | Tagged , | Comments Off on The polarization of light

High and Low Tides with a Bit of British Humor

Posted on February 9, 2023 by 88bw

High and low tides can pose great challenges and dangers to nature lovers, especially those who enjoy being close to the water. I was originally searching how spring/neap and high/low tides might affect erosion rates; while scouring the Internet, I found this article from the UK (Lancaster Guardian) that details how these tide patterns actually […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Science | Tagged , , | Comments Off on High and Low Tides with a Bit of British Humor

Retrogrades

Posted on February 8, 2023 by araceal

Have you ever thought about why planets in our night sky sometimes appear to be moving backwards? Well, this phenomenon is known as retrograde motion. It is not as strange as it sounds. Retrograde occurs when a planet is moving in the sky and appears to be moving backwards from our perspective on Earth –  […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on Retrogrades