Welcome


The title says it all: this blog features physics videos found everywhere on the web: animations, demonstrations, lectures, documentaries.
Please go here if you want to suggest other nice physics videos, and here if I mistakingly infringed your copyrights. If you understand French, you'll find a huge selection of physics videos in French in my other blog Vidéos de Physique.

Monday 31 December 2012

How High Can We Build?

What's the tallest THING we've ever built? How tall will we EVER be able to build?

Other VSauce videos

 

Pressure Fields and Fluid Acceleration

National Committee for Fluid Mechanics Films
Ascher H. Shapiro, MIT

Other videos from this series

Film notes


Sunday 30 December 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 28. Work and Potential Energy

Paul illustrates work and potential energy via a barbell and other vertical lifts, and the energy states of a simple pendulum.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Julius Sumner Miller - Soap Bubbles

Physics demonstrations by Julius Sumner Miller- soap bubbles and soap films (and some mercury droplets).

Other physics demonstrations by Julius Sumner Miller



Saturday 29 December 2012

Supernova Shock Waves—Powerhouses of the Galaxy

Yasunobu Uchiyama, a scientist with the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at SLAC, delivered the Nov. 27 SLAC Public Lecture, "Supernova Shock Waves: Powerhouses of the Galaxy."

Uchiyama's talk highlights the powerful remnants of exploding stars, called supernovae, which are among the universe's most spectacular pyrotechnics displays.

For thousands of years after a supernova explosion, massive orbs of high-energy particles with strong magnetic fields remain confined by the expanding shock wave. These remnants "are among the most beautiful and mysterious objects in the cosmos," notes Uchiyama, a member of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Large Area Telescope collaboration who has expertise in supernova remnants.

The Fermi space telescope allows researchers to study supernova remnants in many wavelengths, from visible light to radio waves, X-rays and gamma rays. Uchiyama describes Fermi telescope observations that reveal how supernova remnants act as giant particle accelerators, spewing high-energy cosmic rays. Lecturer: Yasunobu Uchiyama, SLAC

Mechanical Universe 06 - Newton's Laws

Unfortunately, this video has been deleted.

Top 10 reasons Why We Know the Earth is Round

10 reasons why we know the earth is round.

Other Minute Physics videos

Friday 28 December 2012

Wobbly Earth - Sixty Symbols

Axial precession is the reason the Earth's axis has a long-term but quite dramatic "wobble", as explained here by Roger Bowley and Mike Merrifield.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 27. Freddy-Frog Momentum Problem

Paul explains two ways that Freddy the Frog slows a horizontally-moving skateboard by vertically falling on it.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Dark Matter

Physicists estimate that dark matter accounts for about twenty three percent of the known universe - the only problem is that no one really knows what it is...

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Thursday 27 December 2012

Measuring the Universe

The vast size of the universe requires special units when measuring distances. This video explains the Astronomical Unit, the Light-year and the parsec.

 

Is There Poop on the Moon?

All about toilets in space.

Other Minute Physics videos

Inverted Pendulum

A physical pendulum finds stability in its inverted position when driven at the proper frequency and amplitude combination.

The physical pendulum seen here is mounted on a ball-bearing pivot and can rotate 360 degrees; the pivot is driven at about 50 Hz with an amplitude of about 1 cm (3/4" per stroke) by a Sears Craftsman Auto Scroller Saw (model 315.172090); the length is 45 cm and the center of mass is slightly above 15 cm from the pivot; the rotational inertia is roughly 4x10^(-4) kg*m^2; the mass is about 100 grams.

For more details and references for further study see: http://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k16940&pa... 

 Shot in 24 and 300 fps. Thanks to Rob, Fu, and Daniel for their help.

    

Wednesday 26 December 2012

X-ray Laser Captures Atoms and Molecules in Action

The Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC is the world's most powerful X-ray laser. Just two years after turning on in 2009, breakthrough science is emerging from the LCLS at a rapid pace. A recent experiment used the X-rays to create and probe a 2-million-degree piece of matter in a controlled way for the first time—a significant leap toward understanding the extreme conditions found in the hearts of stars and giant planets, and a finding which could further guide research into nuclear fusion, the mechanism that powers the sun. Upcoming experiments will investigate the fundamental, atomic-scale processes behind such phenomena as superconductivity and magnetism, as well as peering into the molecular workings of photosynthesis in plants.

 Filmed and produced by SLAC Multimedia Communications; Music ("The Dig") courtesy Dwight Chalmers @ The Listen Laboratory. Copyright 2012 SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 26. Fish-Lunch Momentum Problem

Paul illustrates momentum conservation with a two-fish system.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Tuesday 25 December 2012

ScienceCasts: Christmas Sky Show

The Moon and Jupiter are converging for a heavenly sky show on Christmas 2012. Got a telescope? Something extra-special is happening on Jupiter that makes it an appealing target for backyard optics.

 

ReMakingHistory: Magdeburg Hemisphere

MAKE magazine Contributing Editor William Gurstelle recreates the vacuum forming experiment performed by Otto von Guericke in the 17th Century. You can do it, too.

 

Monday 24 December 2012

The Physics Of Santa

Breaking down the physics behind Santa and whether he can really deliver all of those presents on Christmas Eve.

 

Is it Better to Walk or Run in the Rain?

Is it Better to Walk or Run in the Rain?

Other Minute Physics videos

 

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: is the world going to end in 2012?

Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a visiting Astrophysics professor at the University of Oxford and now guest lectures on whether the world is going to end.

 This is in response to the Mayan calendar ending on 21 December 2012.

 She is famous for discovering the first radio pulsars and is one of the great minds in physics.

 

Cheers Physics (the physics of beer)

Physicist Rik Sargent meets Andy Moffat, a real ale brewer in North London with Redemption Brewing. They discuss the science involved in controlling the taste and colour of beer, focusing on the mashing of the grains and the temperatures involved in the brewing process.

 


Physicist Rik Sargent talks to Josh and Andy from Redemption Brewing who are experts in perfecting their real ale. They discuss how the sugar and alcohol affect the density of the beer and how to measure the ABV (alcohol by volume) in beer.

 


Physicist Rik Sargent chats to Andy from Redemption Brewing about why temperature is important in brewing a good beer. They also discuss hops and how they work efficiently by incorporating physics into their process.

 

Physicist Rik Sargent chats to Andy from Redemption Brewing about how the isinglass is used to clarify you beer towards the end of the brewing process.

 

 Physicist Rik Sargent chats to Andy from Redemption brewing about the physics behind keeping beer separate from oxygen in the air when moving it to a conditioning tank. Exposure to oxygen causes reactions in beer that lead to unwanted flavours. Therefore the physics of storing beer is paramount for keeping beer tasting its best.

    


Monday 3 December 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 25. Conservation of Momentum

Paul shows how Newton's laws lead to the impulse-momentum relationship, which then leads to the conservation of momentum.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

Weird Surface Tension - Sixty Symbols

Sixty Symbols regulars Roger and James are part of a team investigating surface tension in granular systems. Their new paper is published at http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v109/i22/e228002

Other Sixty Symbols videos

 

Sunday 2 December 2012

Dark Energy

The universe is huge and getting bigger all the time, and we have we have dark energy - the most mysterious force in the universe - to blame/thank for it. Thought to make up more than 70% of the energy in the whole universe, Hank describes how dark energy was theorized to exist, and how scientists are trying to explain it.

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Dark matter is a circus master in the universe

The expansion of the universe, the big bang and dark matter. Astronomers talk us through what we know and don't know about the universe.

 

Saturday 1 December 2012

From Kepler to Webb: The History of the Telescope

Hank regales us with the history of the telescope, and then introduces us to some folks from the team who are working on the newest telescope in the chronology - the James Webb Space Telescope, an infrared telescope due to launch in 2018. Thanks to the team at Northrop Grumman for allowing us the privilege of touring their facility, and to the scientists at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for their help with this video.

Other Sci-Show videos

 

How Big is the Universe?

Explains how astronomers have learnt to measure the distance to the stars. How many stars are in the observable universe and is it possible to comprehend the size of it all?

 

Monday 19 November 2012

Supercomputing Sheds Light on the Dark Universe

At Argonne National Laboratory, scientists are using supercomputers to shed light on one of the great mysteries in science today, the Dark Universe. With Mira, a petascale supercomputer at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, a team led by physicists Salman Habib and Katrin Heitmann will run the largest, most complex simulation of the universe ever attempted.

By contrasting the results from Mira with state-of-the-art telescope surveys, the scientists hope to gain new insights into the distribution of matter in the universe, advancing future investigations of dark energy and dark matter into a new realm.

The team's research was named a finalist for the 2012 Gordon Bell Prize, an award recognizing outstanding achievement in high-performance computing.

 

Frozen Powder Drops

When water droplets impact super hydrophobic powder at a high enough velocity, they "freeze" into place. The powder fully encapsulates the droplet, forming shapes resembling bowling pins, ice cream cones, and more.

This video is a submission to the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics Gallery of Motion for 2012.
arXiv article containing this video
Physics Buzz Blog Post

Video Credit: Jeremy Marston, Ying Zhu, Ivan Vakarelski, and Siggi Thoroddsen from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Music: Artist -- Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea. Song -- Romance De Juegos Prohobidos. Performer --
Jim Greeninger


 

ALPHA-2 arrives at CERN

While many experiments are methodically planning for intense works over the long shutdown, there is one experiment that is already working at full steam: ALPHA-2. Its final components arrived last month and will completely replace the previous ALPHA set-up.

Unlike its predecessor, this next generation experiment has been specifically designed to measure the properties of antimatter.

Read more about ALPHA-2: http://cdsweb.cern.ch/journal/CERNBulletin/2012/47/News%20Articles/1493544?ln=en

 

Sunday 18 November 2012

Secrets of our violent Sun

A solar physicist reveals what she knows about the Sun and the latest solar missions.

Saturday 17 November 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 24. Momentum

Paul, a former boxer, investigates the physics of riding with a punch, and other situations related to momentum.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Circular Polarization

Circular polarization of light.

 

Quarks and gluons with an unsung hero: Professor Graham Ross

Professor Graham Ross from the University of Oxford, winner of the 2012 Dirac Medal awarded by the Institute of Physics for his work in developing the standard model of particles and forces that has led to many new insights into the origins and nature of the universe. A powerhouse of physics, and one of the UK's best kept secrets, Graham laid out the pathway to the discovery of the gluon, the force carrier for the strong nuclear force, and taught Richard Feynman how quantum chromodynamics could be used to work out the interactions between quarks and gluons.

 

ScienceCasts: The Diner at the Center of the Galaxy

The Milky Way's supermassive black hole is generally a picky eater, but NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft recently caught it in the act of having a snack!

 

Monday 12 November 2012

Open Letter to the President: Physics Education

About physics in american high schools.

Other Minute Physics videos

Problems with High School Physics - Sixty Symbols

Sixty Symbols regulars Ed Copeland, Tony Padilla and Phil Moriarty discuss their personal views on high school physics education in the UK.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

 

Friday 9 November 2012

Hangout With CERN - The Large Hadron Collider

In this second Hangout with CERN "The Large Hadron Collider" ATLAS physicist Steven Goldfarb is joined by Giulia Papotti and Laurette Ponce from the CERN Control Centre, Despina Hatzifotiadou and Ken Read from the ALICE experiment, Achintya Rao and Roberto Rossin from the CMS experiment and Patrick Koppenburg from the LHCb experiment, as well as Jaana Nystrom from Finland and Liz Krane from the USA.

 This hangout answers questions about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) received via #askCERN on Twitter and Google+ and via YouTube and Facebook comments.

 Recorded live on 8th November 2012.

 

ScienceCasts: Total Eclipse of the Sun

Scientists and sky watchers are converging on the northeast coast of Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef, for a total eclipse of the sun.

Sunday 4 November 2012

Saturday 3 November 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 22. Newton's Laws Problem

Paul covers some good physics with an explanation of the classic 2-mass-pulley problem.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Is Mars Red Hot?

What would it feel like if you could stand on Mars -- toasty warm, or downright chilly? Find out more about the temperature on Mars in this 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

 

Monday 29 October 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 21. Newton's Third Law

Paul and wife Lil illustrate that one cannot touch without being touched — with supporting examples.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

Sunday 28 October 2012

Rainbows and Double Rainbows - Sixty Symbols

The physics of rainbows with Professor Mike Merrifield.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

 

Liquid crystals: a new type of LCD display screen

These very low power screens will have a variety of uses in the market in the future. They can be update wirelessly and the first place you can expect to see them is in a supermarket near you. Dr Cliff Jones, Shaun Gray and Dr Emma Wood of ZBD Displays Ltd, winner of the 2012 Innovation Award, awarded by the Institute of Physics for developing and commercialising a novel e-paper display for use in shelf-edge labelling in supermarkets and other retail settings. ZBD has created an e-paper display by applying a sub-micron texture onto the glass surface of a liquid crystal display, allowing it to hold an image even when the power is removed. The work is the product of world-leading research at the liquid crystal research centre at DERA.

http://www.iop.org/activity/business/innovation/page_53257.html

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 20. Skydiver Problem

Paul poses and solves a problem involving Suzie Skydiver, who dives and attains terminal velocity.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

Sunday 21 October 2012

Higgs Boson Update From CERN

"For a report on ABC's Catalyst program (http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/), I visited the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland to find out what is being done now that the Higgs Boson has been discovered.

 Although its mass has been measured around 125-126 GeV most of the other properties of the particle remain unknown. Its spin appears to be 0 or 2 but more results are required to nail this down. If it is the standard model Higgs, the spin should be 0, resulting in a fairly symmetric distribution of decay products in the detectors.

 We may know this year if it's not the standard model Higgs - this would be the case if it doesn't decay into specific particles with the expected frequency. However if it is the standard model Higgs, it may take many more years to be certain. The large hadron collider will be shut down in 2013 for upgrades so that higher energies up to 14 TeV can be tested. Right now the LHC is operating at 8 TeV. The next announcement is expected in December."

Other Veritasium videos

 

You Already Know This Physics!

From a research path that includes a little bit of rocket science, under sea measurements, radiation detection and measurement, space experimentation and two expeditions to the Antarctic, Mr. McKisson brings a different view of how much physics most people already know from observing the world around them. With a minimal amount of math, attendees will learn a little of the history of physics and may discover that they know more than they thought about what some view as an inscrutable subject.

 Speaker: Mr. Jack McKisson, Jefferson Lab
Date: October 9, 2012

 

How to Measure the Wavelength of Laser Light

Diffraction.


Saturday 20 October 2012

5 Rules of the Electric Field

Electric field lines.

 

What can you do with a physics degree?

Where do physics majors end up, besides broke and teaching the next mob of physics majors? How many physics majors end up working in History and English right out of school?

 

Friday 12 October 2012

Pressure demonstration

A man standing on 6 balloons.

Peter Kruger talks about the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics won by Serge Haroche and David Wineland.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

 

Thursday 11 October 2012

2012 Nobel Prize: How Do We See Light?

What was the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics given for? Capturing a single photon of light!
Congrats to Serge Haroche and David Wineland

Other Minute Physics videos

 

Butterflies and metamaterials with Professor Roy Sambles

Professor Roy Sambles from the University of Exeter, winner of the 2012 Faraday Medal awarded by the Institute of Physics for his pioneering research in experimental physics. Inspired by intricate microscopic structures in butterfly and moth wings giving their vivid colours, Roy has created 'metamaterials' to manipulate microwaves and RFID tagging in unusual ways, opening up new areas of research with direct practical applications. Roy's infectious enthusiasm for physics has inspired thousands of people - "How does it all work? That's it really, isn't it? How does it all work"

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 19. Newton's Second Law

A video of Paul in the classroom is followed up with a discussion of force, mass, and the acceleration of freely-falling rocks.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Quantum-Physics Pair Wins 2012 Nobel Physics Prize

Frenchman Serge Haroche and American David Wineland won the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics for their research on quantum particles, light and matter. WSJ's Gautam Naik explains their work and its uses. Photo: Reuters, AP

 

Interview: The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics

Professor Per Delsing was interviewed by freelance journalist Joanna Rose about the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded jointly to Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems."

 

Real World Telekinesis (feat. Neil Turok)

About fields.

Other Minute Physics videos

Hewitt-Drew-it! 18. Acceleration Units

Paul clarifies the equivalence of m/s^2 and N/kg, and leads to Earth's gravitational field g.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Levitating Barbecue! Electromagnetic Induction

At the Palais de la Decouverte in Paris, they showed me this experiment where a 1kg aluminium plate is levitated above a large coil of wire that is being supplied with 800A of alternating current at 900Hz. This is by far the best demonstration of electromagnetic induction I have ever seen. Back in London, I visited the magnetic lab of Michael Faraday in the basement of the Royal Institution. It was here that he did his groundbreaking work on induction. People had previously observed that current in a wire causes a compass needle to deflect, but more exciting was the prospect of using a magnetic field to generate current. Faraday created his famous induction ring by winding two coils of insulated wire onto an iron ring. When he connected a battery to one coil, a small pulse of current was induced in the other. When the battery was disconnected, current was induced in the other direction. This led Faraday to the conclusion that current was induced in the second coil only when the magnetic field through it was changing. And if they hadn't been wrapped on the same ring, Faraday may have noticed that the two coils repel each other when the current is induced due to the interaction of their magnetic fields. This is the same thing that is happening with the aluminium plate, except we're using alternating current to create a continually changing magnetic field. This induces an alternating current in the plate, producing an opposing magnetic field which levitates the disk.

Other Veritasium videos

 

Monday 8 October 2012

Nikola Tesla: Great Minds

Hank brings us the tale of the bizarre and eccentric genius with the crazy eyes who spent his life increasing awesome wherever he went, and contributed in some way to pretty much every cool invention you can think of. Nikola Tesla spoke eight languages and, at the time of his death, held over 700 patents and was being investigated by the US government for claiming to have invented a 60 million volt death ray. Tesla was an undisputed genius, and SciShow gold.

Other Sci-Show videos


How Much Does a Shadow Weigh?

Light pressure, Cherenkov radiation, photonic boom and more!

Other Vsauce videos

Sunday 7 October 2012

ESOcast 48: Building Big

Big telescopes.

KEZAKO: What is the difference between phosphorescence and fluorescence?

Kezako is the serie that addresses issues of science in a few minutes. The episode "What is the difference between fluorescence and phosphorescence?" addresses the two apparently different phenomena found with fluorescent markers, stickers, glow-worms or fireflies.

 

Saturday 6 October 2012

KEZAKO : How can we create electricity with light?

"How can we make electricity with light?" addresses the phenomena of absorption of photons and releasing electrons. It also explains the principle of Grätzel cells.

 

Misconceptions About Falling Objects - ABC Catalyst

A basketball and a 5 kg ball: which one will hit the ground first?
This is a remake of this video.

Other Veritasium videos

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 17.Mass/Weight

Paul distinguishes between mass and weight in a video from his classroom, then breaks strings attached to a ball in ways that clarify the distinction.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Thursday 4 October 2012

The Standard Model

Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln describes the Standard Model of particle physics, covering both the particles that make up the subatomic realm and the forces that govern them.

 

From physics to probabilities: Pokerstars' Liv Boeree

Liv Boeree has always been passionate about astrophysics and gained a First Class Honours degree in Physics from Manchester University. She became involved in the poker industry after graduation, making a name for herself by winning the European Poker Tour in 2010 in San Remo. Liv's substantial career winnings and work in the television industry prove that a physics degree can be applied in a less orthodox way. This video is to help promote the shortfall of girls studying physics

Friday 28 September 2012

ScienceCasts: The Sound of Earthsong

A NASA spacecraft has recorded eerie-sounding radio emissions coming from our own planet. These beautiful "songs of Earth" could, ironically, be responsible for the proliferation of deadly electrons in the Van Allen Belts.

   

Happy 58th Birthday CERN

CERN is 58 years old on Saturday 29 September 2012. This video showcases some original footage from the 1950s to say happy birthday CERN!

 

Thursday 27 September 2012

Effects of water pressure

This clip illustrates the effects of water pressure on a ball filled with air. The same compression happens to the air inside the human ear, which is why we have to equalize the ears when freediving.

 

Wednesday 26 September 2012

NOvA Neutrino Experiment Installs First Detector Block

Time lapse of Fermilab's NOvA neutrino experiment installing the first of 28 detector blocks in Ash River, MN. Each block is 51 x 51 x 7 feet and when installed will weigh 500 metric tons.

 

Spinning Magnet - Sixty Symbols

Rotating magnet in levitation.

Other Sixty Symbols videos


Solid Nitrogen, Vacuum Cooling and Dry Ice

What happens when you decrease the pressure around a liquid? It boils. Water boils at room temperature once the pressure is low enough. What is interesting is that this decreases the temperature of the liquid. The fastest molecules escape, leaving the slower ones behind. Using this trick with liquid nitrogen, it is possible to create solid nitrogen at a temperature of -210C. We then poured the solid and liquid nitrogen mixture onto a tray of water. The surface of the water became so cold that CO2 solidified out of the atmosphere on its surface. Then, since CO2 does not pass through the liquid phase at atmospheric pressure, it was propelled on the water surface by jets of gas as it sublimed. Huge thanks to the Palais de la Decouverte. Music by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com (Mirage)

Other Veritasium videos


Friday 21 September 2012

Animal Magnetism: How Animals Navigate

Hank tells us about new research into the question of how animals navigate from place to place - while the problem is still unresolved, we do have some hypotheses, and they all involve something called "magnetoreception."

Other Sci-Show videos

Hewitt-Drew-it! 16.Newton's Laws of Motion

Paul enlists Nellie Newton to illustrate Newton's three laws of motion.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Mechanical Universe 05 - Vectors

Unfortunately, this video has been deleted.

Monday 17 September 2012

CERN News The Higgs or not the Higgs? Spin will tell... PART 1

Following the announcement of the discovery of a new particle made at CERN on July 4, this piece of videonews from CERN explains what is missing to declare that the new boson found at the LHC is actually the Higgs or not and that to finally answer that question precise measurements of the spin of the newly found particle have to be made. Contains interviews to CMS Higgs Searches co-convener, Christopher Pauss and theoretician John Ellis.

How to Measure the Width of a Hair With a Laser!

Exactly how small is a hair's breadth? Measure it for yourself with nothing more than a laser pointer and a tape measure!

Other Frostbite Theater videos

Thursday 13 September 2012

Secrets of the Dark Universe: Simulating the Sky on the Blue Gene/Q

An astonishing 99.6% of our Universe is dark. Observations indicate that the Universe consists of 70% of a mysterious dark energy and 25% of a yet unidentified dark matter component, and only 0.4% of the remaining ordinary matter is visible. Understanding the physics of this dark sector is the foremost challenge in cosmology today. Sophisticated simulations of the evolution of the Universe play a crucial task in this endeavor.

 

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Electric Flame

Is a flame really a plasma? Well it depends on your definition of plasma, but there are certainly ions in a flame, formed as molecules collide with each other at high speed, sometimes knocking electrons off of their atoms. Special thanks to the Palais de la Decouverte for helping me perform this experiment. Using tens of thousands of volts on two metal plates, we created a strong electric field around the plasma. This pulled positive ions in one direction and negative ions in the other direction elongating the flame horizontally and causing it to flicker like a "papillon" (butterfly). Then we showed that much longer sparks can be made through the flame than through air since the ions increase the conductivity.

Other Veritasium videos

IDTIMWYTIM: Equinox (Stupid Latin!)

In this edition of IDTIMWYTIM, Hank explains why the common understanding of "equinox" is wrong, what the equinox actually is, and then rages a little against astronomers and their stupid confusing Latin terms.

Other Sci-Show videos

Science Xplained: Topspin Doctor: How Physics Serves Tennis

Physics, anyone? In this segment, Dr. Ainissa Ramirez discusses how the strings in a tennis racket--often made of synthetic or natural materials--make the important topspin shot possible. She shows how knowing physics can give your game an advantage.

 

Hewitt-Drew-it! 15. Tennis-Ball Problem

Paul shows the solution to finding the maximum velocity of a horizontally-moving tennis ball that barely clears the net to remain in the court.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Mechanical Universe 04 - Inertia

Unfortunately, this video has been deleted.

Monday 10 September 2012

MIT 8.02 Electricity and Magnetism Lecture 21

MIT 8.02 Electricity and Magnetism, Spring 2002

Professor Walter Lewin

Magnetic Materials, diamagnetism, paramagnetism, and ferromagnetism.

Other lectures from the same course

Hewitt-Drew-it! 14.Ball Toss

Paul shows how the motion of a ball tossed by Phil Physiker can be carefully analyzed, with interesting distinctions.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

IDTIMWYTIM: Schrodinger's Cat

"I Don't Think It Means What You Think It Means" examines scientific theories that have taken on a life of their own in popular culture & we help you understand what they really mean in scientific terms. Today we take on Schrodinger's Cat, the famous thought experiment by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger.

Other Sci-Show videos

Sunday 9 September 2012

Feynman Diagrams - Sixty Symbols

Feynman Diagrams help physicists understand what happens when particles collide. More videos at http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

Other Sixty Symbols videos

NOvA: Exploring Neutrino Mysteries

Neutrinos are a mystery to physicists. They exist in three different flavors and mass states and may be able to give hints about the origins of the matter-dominated universe. A new long-baseline experiment led by Fermilab called NOvA may provide some answers.

There is a live feed of the first detector block being moved at http://www.fnal.gov/pub/webcams/nova_webcam/index.htm

 

Saturday 8 September 2012

Build an Electric Motor

This video demonstrates how to build a simple electric motor. Includes a discussion of some of the science behind electric motors.

 

Friday 7 September 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 11. Velocity Vectors

Paul extends a televised classroom lecture on vectors to explain the resultant velocities of airplanes in wind.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Tuesday 4 September 2012

"The Future of the Highest Energy Accelerators" by Frank Zimmerman (CERN)

The Large Hadron Collider is famous for its size (17 miles in circumference), its cost (more than 7 billion euros), and accomplishments (the discovery of the Higgs boson chief among them). SLAC's two-mile-long linear accelerator could be considered the LHC of its day -- 50 years ago.

In this video, recorded during the Aug. 24, 2012, symposium commemorating those 50 years, Frank Zimmerman of CERN gives a crash course on the history of particle colliders, from the first cyclotron, built by Ernest Lawrence and his graduate student Stanley Livingston in 1931 (that could fit in the palm of a hand), to CERN's nation-spanning behemoth. He also lets the audience in on his own secret master plan for ever more powerful accelerators -- not just at CERN, but at SLAC.


Sunday 2 September 2012

Tuning Forks: Resonance & Beat Frequency

Two identical tuning forks and sounding boxes are placed next to one another. Striking one tuning fork will cause the other to resonate at the same frequency. When a weight is attached to one tuning fork, they are no longer identical. Thus, one will not cause the other to resonate. When two different tuning forks are struck at the same time, the interference of their pitches produces beats.

See other MIT physics demos

Saturday 1 September 2012

Mechanical Universe 03 - Derivatives

Unfortunately, this video has been deleted.

IDTIMWYTIM: Radiation

Hank explains the whole story about radiation - the good, the extremely helpful, and the bad.

Other Sci-Show videos

Hewitt-Drew-it! 13.Sideways Drop

Bullseye Bob drops a bullet while firing another horizontally, then analyzed in Paul's televised classroom, followed up with vertical and horizontal motion independence.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Friday 31 August 2012

ScienceCasts: Watch Out For The Blue Moon

The second full Moon of August--a "Blue Moon"--is just around the corner. It will probably look just like any other full Moon but, on rare occasions, the Moon really does turn blue. Could it happen this month?

 

Mechanical Universe 02 - The Law of Falling Bodies

Unfortunately, this video has been deleted.

Double Vision - Sixty Symbols

A huge crystal of calcite is used to demonstrate birefringence, a side-effect of light's refraction through certain materials.

Other Sixty Symbols videos


 

Thursday 30 August 2012

Mechanical Universe 01 - Introduction

Unfortunately, this video has been deleted.

Galileo and Motion

Galileo studied the motion of objects rolling down an inclined plane, and made note of patterns in those motions which he extrapolated to the motion of falling objects.

Other animations by Penn State Schuylkill

ScienceCasts: The Radiation Belt Storm Probes

Most spacecraft try to avoid the Van Allen Belts, two doughnut-shaped regions around Earth filled with "killer electrons." This morning NASA launched two heavily-shielded spacecraft directly into the belts. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes are on a two-year mission to study the Van Allen Belts and to unravel the mystery of their unpredictability.

 

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Guns in Space

Why firing a gun on the moon is not a good idea.

Other Vsauce videos

 

Microwave Fabry-Perot interferometer

Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic wave, just as visible light is. Being a way, it can experience interference, just as light can, but having a wavelength on the order of an inch long, in this demonstration, it is much easier to observe the interference. In this video, we see how a Fabry-Perot interferometer works.

 

Transverse Zeeman effect

Starting with no magnetic field, then up to 0,8 T.    See the splitting of spectral lines of Cd light.

 

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 12.Free Fall

Paul investigates and develops free-fall equations as Phil Physiker drops a boulder, with a speedometer attached, from a high cliff.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

SLAC at 50: "Creating the Future"

For five decades, scientists from around the world have been coming to SLAC to seek answers to some of the most challenging questions about our universe. This video, produced in honor of SLAC's 50th anniversary, celebrates the lab's evolution from groundbreaking particle physics research facility to one of the world's foremost multi-program laboratories, leading the way with some of today's most important discoveries.

 

Monday 27 August 2012

Sunday 26 August 2012

Foam Physics - Sixty Symbols

What is the link between giraffes, wine corks and the map of the Universe? More videos at http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Collapsing Solenoid

A slinky is stretched out on a glass rod and connected to 120 VAC. When power is applied, the slinky immediately collapses due to Lenz's Law.

See other MIT physics demos

Saturday 25 August 2012

Schrödinger's Cat

No cats were harmed in the making of this video.

Other Minute Physics videos

Michio Kaku Explains String Theory

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains the basics of String Theory in this clip from his Floating University lecture.

IDTIMWYTIM: Centrifugal Force

In this edition of IDTIMWYTIM, Hank addresses the so-called centrifugal force, and explains why you really mean centripetal force.

Other Sci-Show videos

Friday 24 August 2012

Magnetizing and Demagnetizing an Iron Rod

An iron bar is used to try to pick up some paperclips or thumbtacks. It is not able to do this because it is not magnetized. The rod is placed in a long solenoid and DC power applied. The rod becomes magnetized and is able to pick up some of the paperclips or tacks. The rod is again placed inside the solenoid and 120 VAC applied. This demagnetizes the rod and it will not pickup any tacks.

See other MIT physics demos

Misconceptions About Temperature

Made for ABC TV Catalyst  as an extended version of "Comparing Temperatures" video.

Other Veritasium videos

Hewitt-Drew-it! 10. Unit Conversion

Paul discusses unit conversion by means of cancellation, illustrated with a simple average-velocity problem featuring Fast Freda.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Thursday 23 August 2012

Rare Type 1a Supernova Progenitor System Observed

The multi-institutional Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) team has released the first-ever direct observations of a Type 1a supernova progenitor system. Astronomers have collected evidence indicating that the progenitor system of a Type 1a supernova, called PTF 11kx, contains a red giant star. This artist's conception shows a binary star system that produces recurrent novae, and ultimately, the supernova PTF 11kx. A red giant star (foreground) loses some of its outer layers though a stellar wind, and some of it forms a disk around a companion white dwarf star. This material falls onto the white dwarf, causing it to experience periodic nova eruptions every few decades. When the mass builds up to the near the ultimate limit a white dwarf star can take, it explodes as a Type Ia supernova, destroying the white dwarf. (Animation credit: Romano Corradi and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias)

 

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Electromagnetism - Magnetic Force: The Four Fundamental Forces of Physics

In this final segment on the four fundamental forces of physics, Hank tackles the magnetic force, the second of the two ways in which electromagnetism is apparent in the universe.

Other Sci-Show videos



Current and Magnets - Sixty Symbols

Professor Roger Bowley uses fuse wire, magnets and electrical current for a quick demonstration.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Bimetallic Strip

A bimetallic strip (12" ) of iron and aluminum is vertically fixed at one end to a board. The top end has a pointer that is free to move. The bimetallic strip is straight at room temperature. When heated with a blow torch, the strip curves due to differential expansion.

See other MIT physics demos

Electromagnetism - Electrostatic Force: The Four Fundamental Forces of Physics

Hank reaches the fourth and final of the four fundamental interactions in physics: electromagnetism. In this part, he teaches us about the electrostatic force, which builds up a charge in an object and can travel in the form of an electron stream. Stay tuned for Part II, where we will finish up the series with the magnetic force.

Other Sci-Show videos

The Electric Cannon - Sixty Symbols

We use an unusual cannon to demonstrate electrical conductivity at different temperatures.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Hewitt-Drew-it! 9. Bikes and Bee Problem

Paul shows a simple solution to a classic problem involving the motion of a bee that flies to-and-fro between approaching bikes.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Friday 17 August 2012

How Does A Boomerang Work?

A boomerang can execute its unique roundtrip flight by making use of three fundamental physics principles: lift, relative velocity, and gyroscopic precession.

Other Veritasium videos

The Evolution of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Over the course of its 50 year history, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has evolved from a groundbreaking particle physics research facility to one of the world's foremost multipurpose laboratories. Here lab director Persis Drell tells the story of how the focus of research at SLAC has grown and changed since the earliest days.

(SLAC is for Stanford Linear Accelerator Center)

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Change in Frequency of Voice with Helium

Helium introduced into a resonant cavity, including the lungs of the demonstrator, will increase the frequency of all pitches originating in the cavity. This is because the speed of sound in helium is greater than the speed of sound in air.

See other MIT physics demos

Thursday 16 August 2012

Gigayear - Sixty Symbols

Astronomers have a symbol for 1,000,000,000 years - that's a billion years.
More symbols at http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Gravitation: The Four Fundamental Forces of Physics #3

Hank continues our series on the four fundamental forces of physics with a description of gravitation - the interaction by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to that of their masses, and which is responsible for keeping planets in orbit, among other things.

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Refraction & Total Internal Reflection

A beam of light from a helium-neon laser is directed at a tank of water and is refracted as it enters the water. The outgoing angle of refraction is smaller than the incident angle. Next, the laser is directed from below the water's surface. At a certain critical angle, the beam is totally reflected at the surface, there is no outgoing refracted beam.


See other MIT physics demos

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Monday 13 August 2012

Dark Matter - Sixty Symbols

We take a look at mysterious dark matter - and a chocolate pie.
More videos at http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Weak Interaction: The Four Fundamental Forces of Physics #2

Hank continues our series on the four fundamental forces of physics by describing the weak interaction, which operates at an infinitesimally small scale to cause particle decay.

Other Sci-Show videos

Rutherford Scattering - A Classroom Demo

A simple way to demonstrate back-scattering in a classroom. For more information on this and many other demonstrations of physics and astronomy, please visit us at:
http://www.ap.smu.ca/demos

Sunday 12 August 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 7.Force Vectors on an Incline

Paul analyzes forces acting on a block on an inclined plane, leading to forces on a block sliding on a curved surface.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Usain Bolt vs. Gravity

Who's faster over 10 meters - the fastest sprinter in the world, or gravity?

Other Minute Physics videos

Saturday 11 August 2012

Strong Interaction: The Four Fundamental Forces of Physics

Part one of a four part series on the fundamental forces (or interactions) of physics begins with the strong force or strong interaction - which on the small scale holds quarks together to form protons, neutrons and other hadron particles.

 

 Hank continues his primer on the strongest of the four fundamental interactions of physics, the strong interaction. Today he talks about the nuclear force and a force carrier called a pion.

 

Other Sci-Show videos

ScienceCasts: 2012 Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid meteor shower is underway. There's more to see than meteors, however, when the shower peaks on August 11th through 13th. The brightest planets in the solar system are lining up in the middle of the display.

 

Friday 10 August 2012

Gargamelle and Neutral Currents - Sixty Symbols

Gathering dust (and beer cans) under a tree at CERN - it's Gargamelle. This experiment played a key role in Nobel Prize-winning research into the weak force. It's now on public display

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Science off the Sphere: Yo-Yos in Space

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit uses his off-duty time to practice his microgravity yo-yo skills.

Other Science off the Sphere videos

Thursday 9 August 2012

Physics of Sailing ft. Olympian Hunter Lowden - Creators Invade London

How does a sailboat work? The standard idea is that the wind pushes the sails from behind, causing the boat to move forward. Although this technique is used at times, it is not the most efficient way to sail a boat (and it means the boat can never go faster than the wind). Lift is the key mechanism driving a boat forwards. As air flows over the sails, it moves faster over the outer side, creating lower pressure than on the inner side. This produces a force which is mostly to the side and a bit forwards. Lift on the centerboard pushes to the opposite side, cancelling the sideways force and adding a forward component of force to the boat.

Other Veritasium videos

Physics of High Jump - Fosbury Flops Invade London

The strange thing about high jump is that the technique changed dramatically after 1968, when Dick Fosbury used his trademark flop to win the gold medal at the Olympics in Mexico City.

Previously the straddle had been the most common jumping technique, but after the introduction of safer landing matts, the new unorthodox Fosbury Flop became the jump of choice.   There are good physical reasons for this - the style allows the jumper to pass over the bar while his or her centre of mass actually passes below the bar.

Other Veritasium videos

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Curiosity mars rover

Some videos about Mars rover Curiosity.







Monday 6 August 2012

Kepler's Laws Tutorial

In this video you will be introduced to Kepler's 3 laws and see how they are relevant to orbiting objects. The video also makes use of computer simulations created by PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado).

Friday 3 August 2012

How A Wing Actually Works

Lift is an important concept, not only in flying but also in sailing. This week I'm talking to Olympic Sailor, Hunter Lowden. But before I get to the physics of sailing I thought I would explain lift since it's generally poorly understood.

 Wait a minute: is it Veritasium, or Minute Physics?!?!?

Other Veritasium videos

 

The Most Burly Hurls

Which is the most intense Olympic throwing event? Shot put? Hammer? Discus? Javelin?

Other Minute Physics videos

 

Saturday 28 July 2012

Amusing Surface Tension Experiment

How does soap change the surface tension of water?

 

Work - Sixty Symbols

A rubber band and hair dryer are used to explain the concept of work.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

IDTIMWYTIM: Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle might not mean what you think it means: Hank clears things up for us in this edition of IDTIMWYTIM, by distinguishing between the Uncertainty Principle and the Observer Effect, which are often conflated.

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Thursday 26 July 2012

Science off the Sphere: Astro Puffs

In his off duty time, NASA Astronaut Don Pettit explores the physics of water in a weightless environment. Published as a collaboration between NASA and the American Physical Society.

This time:  waves and refraction with a big sphere of water.

Other Science off the Sphere videos

Higgs Boson Part III: How to Discover a Particle

How do you know when you've "discovered" a particle? What do we mean by "discovery"?

Other Minute Physics videos

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 5. Nellie hanging on Gym Ropes

Paul shows two different ways of solving vector problems; resolution of vectors and the parallelogram method. Paul also shows a pulley problem.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

Standing Waves Generator - Vernier

Relationship between Frequency and Wavelength in a Standing Wave.

 

Feather in Vacuum - Backstage Science

Dropping a feather and metal balls in a vacuum chamber to see what gravity is really all about... The astronaut David Scott performed a similar experiment on the Moon with a hammer and feather.

 More Backstage Science at http://www.backstagescience.com/

 

Monday 23 July 2012

Cryogenic Experiments on Passive and Active Electronic Components

In this episode, Shahriar investigates the theory and experimental results of the impact of extreme low temperatures on passive and active components. Liquid Nitrogen in used in a transparent glass Dewar where different components can be fully submerged in the liquid. Various types of resistors are compared for their temperature stability. An electromagnet which uses Copper coils is used to generate a magnetic field at a constant power consumption at both extreme temperatures. The impact of liquid nitrogen on the junction voltage of an NPN device is measured as well as the frequency shift of a CMOS ring oscillator. Finally, the wavelength shift of an LED submerged in liquid nitrogen is studied.

 

Saturday 21 July 2012

Absolute Zero: Absolute Awesome

Hank explains absolute zero: -273.15 degrees Celsius - and the coldest place in the known universe may surprise you.

Other Sci-Show videos

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Hewitt-Drew-it! 4: Nellie's Rope Tensions

Paul Hewitt explains how vectors are used to figure out forces and equilibrium. Paul uses a parallelogram rule to find resultant tensions.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

Falling into Black Holes (NEWS) - Sixty Symbols

Two new scientific papers look like changing the way we think about event horizons and what happens when you cross one - as Dr Tony Padilla explains. The papers are at http://arxiv.org/pdf/1207.3123.pdf and http://arxiv.org/pdf/1207.4090.pdf

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Friday 20 July 2012

Science off the Sphere: Spring Theory

How do you measure mass in a weightless environment? NASA Astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates as part of a collaboration between NASA and the American Physical Society.

Other Science off the Sphere videos

Terminal Velocity

The terminal velocity of an object is the speed at which the force of drag equals the force of gravity on that object.

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Thursday 19 July 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 3:Net Force & Vectors

Paul Hewitt explains how vectors are used to figure out forces and equilibrium.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Colliding Particles - Episode 7: Data

The 7th in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland.

We're back on the Eurostar as Jon, Gavin and Adam travel to the ICHEP conference in Paris for the announcement of first results from the LHC. It's the culmination of over 20 years work and the first step on the road to many years of new discoveries at the LHC.

Post-ICHEP, Gavin moves to Geneva, Adam finishes his PhD), and Jon continues the fight.

 
Colliding Particles - Episode 7: Data from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Colliding Particles - Episode 6: Beam

The 6th in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland.

 'Beam' looks at the role of competition in science and joins the night shift on the CMS detector.

 
Colliding Particles - Episode 6: Beam from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Colliding Particles - Episode 5: Collidonomics

The fifth in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland.

This episode looks at the issue of funding, has an update on the status of the ATLAS experiment, joins Gavin in the mountains, and continues to follow the progress of the 'Eurostar' idea within ATLAS.


Colliding Particles - Episode 5: Collidonomics from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Colliding Particles - Episode 4: Problems

The fourth in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland. 'Problems' travels to Paris for a look at some of the theoretical work behind the 'Eurostar' paper. Gavin and his PhD student Mathieu explore the mathematics behind the behaviour of fundamental particles, and we have an update on the 'incident' which is holding up work at the LHC.

 
Colliding Particles - Episode 4: Problems from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Monday 16 July 2012

Colliding Particles - Episode 3: Conference Season

The third in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland.

Visit the project website at collidingparticles.com.

Jon travels to Philadelphia to present the Eurostar paper to ICHEP. Held every 2 years, the International Conference on High Energy Physics is the most prestigious conference in particle physics, and brings together the worlds leading theorists and experimentalists for a week of discussions and sharing of ideas.


 
Colliding Particles - Episode 3: Conference Season from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Colliding Particles - Episode 2: Big Bang Day

The second in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland.

Visit the project website at collidingparticles.com . At 10.28am on 10 September 2008 the first beam of protons was successfully steered around the full 27 kilometres of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.

Episode 2 introduces us to life at CERN and the excitement surrounding 'Big Bang Day'.

 
Colliding Particles - Episode 2: Big Bang Day from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Colliding Particles - Episode 1: Codename Eurostar

The first in a series of films following a team of physicists involved in research at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland.

Gavin, Jon and Adam have a cunning plan to find the Higgs Boson, an elusive particle which physicists have been trying to find for over 40 years. One of the main aims of the the LHC is to discover once and for all whether the Higgs actually exists or not, and ‘Eurostar’ might just hold the key to finding out… Visit collidingparticles.com to found out more.


 
Colliding Particles - Episode 1: Codename Eurostar from Mike Paterson on Vimeo.

Space Elevators

Hank talks about space elevators, and why we shouldn't expect to see one any time soon.

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Saturday 14 July 2012

Eddy Current Brake

A spinning copper disc is slowed down when a magnet is brought near it. Note that copper is not a magnetic material. Eddy currents are induced in the disc due to the relative motion of the disc and the magnet. The magnetic fields associated with these currents have such a direction that they oppose the cause that created them in the first place (Lenz rule). As a result they oppose the relative motion between the disc and the magnet and hence the disc is slowed down.

Other videos by Horatiu Pop


Eddy Current Brake from Horatiu Pop on Vimeo.

Weekend Projects - Bottle Radio

Crystal radio technology has been around for many years. This "bottle radio" take on a crystal radio requires no power source, operates on the power from radio waves, and receives signal from a long wire antenna. As radio stations slowly move away from the AM band, the "window of opportunity" to experience this remarkable technology is dwindling. The "crystal" in question is contained inside a germanium diode, and is used to rectify the radio signal so that our ears can hear it.

 

Friday 13 July 2012

ScienceCasts: The First Extraterrestrial Marathon

More than 8 years after landing on the Red Planet, Mars rover Opportunity is still running. Indeed, mission planners say the tireless robot is poised to complete a full marathon--the first ever long-distance race on an alien planet.

 

Higgs Boson Discovery! We think?

Hank gives us the specifics on the "discovery" of the elusive Higgs boson. It is, at the very least, a victory for the scientific method!

Other Sci-Show videos

 

Thursday 12 July 2012

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Hewitt-Drew-it! 1: Equilibrium Rule

Paul G.Hewitt (author of "Conceptual Physics") explains equilibrium by drawings so everyone can understand the topic. This is the first in a series.

Other Hewitt-Drew-it! videos

 

The Higgs Boson, Part II: What is Mass?

What is mass and what does it have to do with the Higgs Boson?

Other Minute Physics videos

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Argonne nuclear pioneers: Chicago Pile 1

On December 2, 1942, 49 scientists, led by Enrico Fermi, made history when Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) went critical and produced the world's first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction. Seventy years later, two of the last surviving CP-1 pioneers, Harold Agnew and Warren Nyer, recall that historic day.

 

Simulation of Magnetic Domains

A large number of compass needles are mounted on a Plexiglass sheet. A bar magnet is used to set the needles in motion. When the needles come to a stop, interaction between the needles simulates magnetic domains.

See other MIT physics demos

Monday 9 July 2012

Fiber Optic Bundle

The image of printed words is transmitted through a bundle of approximately 25,000 coherent optical fibers and projected onto a screen.

See other MIT physics demos

Sunday 8 July 2012

Fermilab Accelerator Technology

There are more than 30,000 particle accelerators in operation around the world. At Fermilab, scientists are collaborating with other laboratories and industry to optimize the manufacturing processes for a new type of powerful accelerator that uses superconducting niobium cavities. Experimenting with unique polishing materials, a Fermilab team has now developed an efficient and environmentally friendly way of creating cavities that can propel particles with more than 30 million volts per meter.

 

Saturday 7 July 2012

Real plutonium

We're given special access to various plutonium compounds at the National Nuclear Laboratory, in Sellafield. A chance to meet the "Hannibal Lecter of the Periodic Table". In part this video shows how plutonium is extracted from nuclear fuel waste.

 

Scientific Searches' Statistics Explained

Searching for the Higgs boson and other particles requires scientists to take into account statistics and probability in their analyses. Fermilab physicist Don Lincoln explains these concepts using simple dice.

 

Friday 6 July 2012

Ian Hinchliffe Answers Your Higgs Boson Questions

Ian Hinchliffe, a theoretical physicist who heads Berkeley Lab's sizable contingent with the ATLAS experiment at CERN, answers many of your questions about the Higgs boson.

 

Thursday 5 July 2012

LHC collision event at CMS showing two photons -- 8 TeV (CMS Higgs search)

Real CMS events in which two photons (dashed lines and yellow towers) are observed in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The event shows characteristics expected from the decay of a Higgs boson but is also consistent with background Standard Model physics processes.

 

Observation of a New Particle with a Mass of 125 GeV

CMS Spokesperson Joe Incandela talks about the observation of a new particle by CMS.

 At a seminar held at CERN on July 4, as a curtain raiser to the year's major particle physics conference, ICHEP2012 in Melbourne, CMS presented the collaboration's latest preliminary results in the search for the long-sought Higgs particle. The experiment observes a new particle in the mass region around 125 GeV.

 

The Higgs Boson, Part I

First Minute Physics video about the Higgs Boson (two more to come).

Other Minute Physics videos

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Higgs Boson Experimental Discovery at CERN

Director General of CERN, Rolf Heuer, and the head scientists from the ATLAS and CMS at CERN in Geneva gives a conference on the discovery of the Higgs Boson at a rest mass energy of 126.5 GeV at a 4.9 confidence level (the maximum limit being 5) . This confidence level, in experimental physics, constitutes a discovery with 98% probability of certainty, making it the first true discovery of the Higgs Boson in human history.

 This is the whole press conference.

 

Interview to prof. Peter Higgs about the latest results on the searches for the Higgs boson

Peter Higgs answers questions about his feelings following the announcement of the discovery of a new particle by ATLAS and CMS that looks like the Higgs boson, at a seminar at CERN on July 4, 2012. He also explains his role in the proposal of a Higgs mechanism. (The video ends abruptly!)

 

Joe Incandela talks about the Higgs Boson

Joe Incandela, CMS Spokesperson, on CMS progress on the search for the Higgs Boson.

 

The Higgs for me

"They got sentimental when thinking of Higgs" - Physicists give their thoughts on the Higgs Boson: including Nobel Prize winners Gerhard 't Hooft, David Gross, George Charpak, Jerome Friedman, Murray Gell-Mann plus Vivek Sharma, Guido Tonelli and Gigi Rolandi (CMS), Eilam Gross and Joao Guimaraes da Costa (ATLAS) and theoretical physicists Guido Altarelli and John Ellis.

 

Rolf Heuer on the results of the Higgs searches at ATLAS and CMS July 4 2012.

Rolf Heuer, CERN Director General, answers questons on the results of the Higgs searches at ATLAS and CMS, July 4 2012, his personal feelings of the importance of the results and its implications on CERN and particle physics.

 

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Boaz Almog "levitates" a superconductor

How can a super-thin, three-inch disk levitate something 70,000 times its own weight? In a riveting, futuristic demonstration, Boaz Almog shows how a phenomenon known as quantum locking allows a superconductor disk to float over a magnetic rail -- completely frictionlessly and with zero energy loss.

Other TED Talks

Monday 2 July 2012

What is the Higgs boson? John Ellis, theoretical physicist

John Ellis answer the question What is the Higgs boson? in preparation for the press conference following the seminar on LHC 2012 results on the Higgs boson searches, due on July 4 2012 at CERN.

 

Sunday 1 July 2012

Friday 29 June 2012

Science off the Sphere: Space Balloonacy

In his off duty time, NASA Astronaut Don Pettit cools down with some microgravity water balloon experiments aboard the International Space Station.

Other Science off the Sphere videos

ScienceCasts: Hidden Magnetic Portals Around Earth

A NASA-sponsored researcher at the University of Iowa has developed a way for spacecraft to hunt down hidden magnetic portals in the vicinity of Earth. These portals link the magnetic field of our planet to that of the sun.

 

A meeting of Youtube physics stars!

BrainSTEM is a conference of science YouTubers, instigated by Henry Reich of MinutePhysics. Here's a fun Veritasium video about the event:

 

 And here's a Sixty Symbols video about Minute Physics:

 

Thursday 28 June 2012

Tunnel effect animation

Quantum tunnel effect and STM tunneling microscope.
Copyright Bobroff 2012
Source: Tout est quantique