#physics

#physics

Physicists Determine the Best Way to Split an Oreo CookieHow do you like to split open and eat an Oreo cookie? How can you most effectively separate the creme from the cookie shell? Yes, there’s a lot of folk wisdom about this. But Oreo creme is a fluid and thus this is a question of fluid dynamics.Researchers led by Crystal E. Owens, a doctoral student at MIT, recently published the results of their study into the fluid dynamics of Oreo cookies and how to optimize the separate process. They published their article titled “On Oreology, The Fracture and Flow of ‘Milk’s Favorite Cookie’” in the journal Physics of Fluids.

Can You Solve the Mysterious Chalk Doodles on Stephen Hawking's Blackboard?Legendary physicists know how to have fun too. This is apparent in one of the objects that is currently being displayed at the Science Museum in London, UK—a blackboard full of doodles and punny messages that Stephen Hawking kept untouched for more than 35 years.

China's "Artificial Sun" Nuclear Fusion Tokamak Reactor Set a New Record by Running for 1,056 Seconds at High Plasma TemperatureA world record and a scientific marvel at the same time. China’s ‘artificial sun’ set a new world record by running for 1,056 seconds at high plasma temperature. This total runtime is the longest ever for an experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) fusion energy reactor.This was a result of a new round of testing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Plasma Physics. The reactor was created to mimic a fusion reaction that happens in the Sun by using hydrogen and deuterium gases as fuel. This is why it has received the  moniker of  ‘artificial sun.’ While breaking records is a nice thing, these tests and experiments were done to provide insights into plasma physics research that is crucial to establishing industrial-sized reactors that they hope will generate clean energy.Image credit: CFP#science #physics #nuclearreactors #fusion #plasmaphysics #China

How Far Can You Throw a Ball on Other Planets? If you were to throw a ball in outer space, say, like when you were doing a extravehicular walk outside your spacecraft flying beyond earth's orbit, it would just continue going due to inertia. However, other planets have their own gravity, and their own drag force depending on the atmosphere. Planetary scientist James O'Donoghue made us a visualization of how far a ball thrown at a 45 degree angle would go in the conditions of different planets in our solar system, plus the moon.

Twists, Turns, Thrills and Spills: the Physics of RollercoastersEvery day, thousands of people wait an hour or more in line for a two-minute ride on a rollercoaster. To them, it's worth the wait in order to experience the thrill of having one's body thrown about at great speeds and one's perception of danger spiked and quenched. And now we look into the science of what gives us those thrills. Rollercoasters constantly shift between tapping into potential and kinetic energy. The kinetic energy gained when the train travels down the first hill – or fires out of the launch – gets it up the next, smaller hill. As it travels up the hill, it loses kinetic energy and gains potential energy, and the cycle starts again. Many newer rollercoasters also include further launches, which are often electromagnetic, that provide the train with additional kinetic energy part way through the ride.Most people like to sit at the front or the back of the train, with many rides offering separate queues for these prime spots. In these positions riders feel a greater sense of weightlessness, explains Ann-Marie Pendrill, an expert in using rollercoasters in physics education at the University of Gothenburg and Lund University in Sweden. Pendrill adds that the middle of the train is where one experiences the highest G-forces, but not many people choose to sit there. “The force if you are sitting in the middle will really be more straight up to you, not sideways, not back to front. It will be more or less the way it should be theoretically.”That's just a small excerpt from a strangely comprehensive and understandable explanation of the physics involved in a rollercoaster ride that you can read at Physics World. -via Damn Interesting (Image credit: Cz98)#rollercoaster #physics

Introducing The Cyclocopter: A Drone That Flies On A Different DesignThe cyclogyro is an idea conceived in 1909. It would take a few decades before the idea would turn into reality, with its first flight happening in the 1930s. Unfortunately, when scientists realized that the cyclogyro is too unstable for a human to pilot, the idea was shelved, and scientists would only begin to explore the idea again in recent years. Thanks to today’s technology, researchers are now able to create small-scale versions of the cyclogyro — or as it is now known, the cyclocopter.In this video, Nicholas Rehm demonstrates the capabilities of his small-scale cyclocopter, and he explains the concepts behind its flight.Unfortunately, the cyclocopter breaks by the end of his video. It’s still a cool concept, nonetheless.(Image Credit: Nicholas Rehm via YouTube)

Scientists Created Bendy, Flexible IceYou don't usually think of ice as "bendy" or flexible - in fact, it's usually quite the opposite: ice is brittle and rigid, and is prone to fracturing and breaking (think of an ice cube shattering when you drop it on the floor).So I'm sure you're as surprised as I was when scientists from the Zhejiang University in China developed ice so bendy and flexible that you can bend it into a nearly circular shape.From Science Alert:Ice doesn't always behave the way we expect, and its elasticity – or rather, lack thereof – is a perfect example. Theoretically, it should have a maximum elastic strain of around 15 percent. In the real world, the maximum elastic strain ever measured was less than 0.3 percent. The reason for this discrepancy is that ice crystals have structural imperfections that drive up their brittleness.So a team of researchers led by nanoscientist Peizhen Xu of Zhejiang University in China sought to create ice with as few structural imperfections as possible....At minus 150 degrees Celsius, they found that a microfiber 4.4 micrometers across was able to bend into a nearly circular shape, with a radius of 20 micrometers. This suggests a maximum elastic strain of 10.9 percent – much closer to the theoretical limit than previous attempts.Even better, when the researchers released the ice, it sprang back into its previous shape.#water #ice #physics #elasticity

Cylinder 'Levitates' on an Oil-Coated Belt Running Like a Vertical TreadmillHere’s a surprising way you can defy gravity with a metal cylinder, a vertical treadmill and oil.Mohit Dalwadi at the University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues experimented with cylinders of various masses and several different treadmill belt speeds to model the conditions at which the cylinder will “levitate” whilst rotating on the oil-slicked belt.#fluiddynamics #levitation #physics #cylinder #oil #treadmill #lubrication