Physics and Materials

2022-11-01

Another way of measuring time

Physicists can use the unique interactions between Rydberg wave packets to measure very precise intervals, as short as 1.7 trillionths of a second. That may pave the way for a new type of clock - one which does not need a starting point.

The interactions have very precisely defined patterns resulting from the different interactions - likened to ripples on a pond. A particular pattern comes about a precise time after a preceding one, allowing the interval to be compared against some other event that is desired to be timed.

More in this article on ScienceAlert.

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2011-08-14

Science fun: real anti-gravity

Very cool video. [44 sec]

It really does slow down that much. Just what you see.

Those who don't understand it can look it up.

Originally shared by Matt Steiner on Google+, saying:

We have weird gravity here in Rockford Illinois. The neodymium magnets are super powerful and even though they are not attracted to the copper, they still produce eddy currents that buffer the fall as seen in the video. Lenz's Law make a great experiment for kids to adult. Also, great at parties when conversation goes stale.

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2011-08-03

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Shields up!

Yesss! Shields are part of technology already.

Now all we need is engineering, and then commercialization.

An interesting article by Tom Caldwell on whether invisible 'force fields' a la Star Trek are even possible, let alone practical.

Contains cool info about how to measure the mass of an electron!