Stories tagged “Physics”.
Fusion's celebrated ignition results measure energy at the plasma, not the plug, and the gulf between those two numbers explains why…
The textbook picture of two lunar bulges cannot explain real tides: they are resonant waves sloshing in ocean basins, which is why the…
For 130 years the kilogram was a platinum-iridium cylinder in a Paris vault, but measurable drift against its own copies forced…
Radiocarbon dating measures the decay of carbon-14 in once-living material, but calibration curves, contamination and a ceiling near 50,000…
Dark matter is an invisible form of mass that appears to outweigh ordinary matter several times over. We infer it from gravity, yet it has…
Quantum computers use the strange rules of quantum physics to process information in a fundamentally different way. Here is what qubits…
The daytime sky is blue because air molecules scatter the shorter, bluer wavelengths of sunlight far more strongly than the longer red…
Climate models are complex, but understanding their basis helps evaluate their reliability. Here is how they work and what gives scientists…
Once the perennial promise of physics — always fifty years away — nuclear fusion is finally looking like it might arrive on a rather…
Google's Willow chip demonstrated below-threshold quantum error correction in December 2024, and Microsoft claimed a topological-qubit…
A plane flies by balancing four forces: lift pushes it up, weight pulls it down, thrust drives it forward and drag holds it back. Here is…
Gravity is the attraction between anything that has mass, from an apple to a galaxy. Here is how Newton and Einstein each explained it, why…
Electricity powers nearly everything we use, yet few of us could say what it actually is. This guide explains electric charge, current…
Magnets pull and push without touching, yet the reason why is rooted in the behaviour of electrons. This guide explains magnetic fields…
GPS pinpoints your location by timing radio signals from a fleet of satellites orbiting thousands of miles overhead. Here is the science of…
Misty windows, dewy grass and the drops on a cold drink are all condensation at work. This guide explains what condensation is, why it…
Why does an ambulance siren drop in pitch as it speeds past? The answer is the Doppler effect. This guide explains how it works, with…
Density is how much mass is packed into a given volume of a substance. This guide explains the simple formula, why a kilogram of steel…
Friction is the force that resists movement when two surfaces touch. This guide explains where it comes from, the difference between static…
The speed of sound is how fast a sound wave travels through a material. This guide explains why it is roughly 343 metres per second in air…
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