Articles written by Katharine M. J. Osborne
Showing 73 Articles
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Physical Fundamental Quantities
The idea of a fundamental quantity is an important concept that underpins all of physics
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Why Is Ultraviolet Light Harmful?
Ultraviolet light, a frequency of sunlight, damages skin immediately and over time.
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States of Matter
Most people are familiar with the three states of matter they commonly interact with, solid, liquid, and gas, but these are hardly the only states of matter.
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Plasma
Plasma is one of many states of matter, but it is one of the most common four: solid, liquid, gas, plasma.
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Billiards and Angular Momentum
Physics textbooks often use billiards in examples to explain concepts in mechanics - but they teach you very little about how physics can be used in billiards.
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Physics vs. Metaphysics
Physics answers how we exist, while metaphysics asks why we exist
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What is Nanotechnology?
The term nanotechnology has been bandied about for years, but what is it, and more importantly, where is it going?
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Cymatics
Cymatics is a recently developed field of science that studies the visualization of waves, and in particular sound waves.
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What's in a Vacuum?
For all practical purposes, a vacuum is completely devoid of anything, it is the definition of nothingness. The reality is a bit more complicated.
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Reflection vs. Refraction
Even though reflection and refraction of light are important concepts in optics, they are often confused. The two concepts are unraveled here.
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What is Osmosis?
Osmosis is an essential physical process for cellular biology.
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The Origins of the Calendar
How did the modern calendar come to be? The history of the calendar illustrates our evolving understanding of the universe.
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Alternative Energy
As carbon-based energy supplies are dwindling, other sources of energy are being explored
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What does LASER stand for?
LASER has become a common household word, but what does it mean?
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Why Do Power Lines Buzz?
The crackling sound you hear under high-voltage power lines is caused by corona discharge.
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Review: Parallel Universe
"Parallel Universe" has been airing periodically on the Science Channel, and is one of the most comprehensible introductions to the topic.
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The Physics of the Buffyverse
The Physics of the Buffyverse, a recent book written by Jennifer Ouellette, describes physics through the lens of the mythology of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show.
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Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
The impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 showed that the solar system is still a very volatile place.
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Cooking with Light
Microwave ovens cook food by agitating water molecules
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Centripetal vs. Centrifugal
Centripetal force and centrifugal force are related but often confused.
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Review: The Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom is a multimedia tutorial website aimed at high school physics students.
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Types of Stars
Stellar spectral classification helps astrophysicists understand the lives of stars.
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Beyond the Big Bang
On of the most surprising recent discoveries about the universe is not only that it is expanding, but that it is expanding at an accelerating rate.
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The Origin of the Universe
Throughout history, humans have tried to explain how everything came to be. The theories we came up with were conjecture based on intuition and imagination.
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Geomagnetic Reversal
The direction of north and south we take for granted, but magnetic north and south have switched places in the past and may do so again in the near future.
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The Best Modern Books on Physics
Here are some of the best physics books published in the last few years.
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Physics in the 21st Century
We this century see the end of active study in physics? Will we truly know the nature of the universe? Probably not.
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Phlogiston and Aether
Phlogiston and aether are the corpses of physical theories that didn't survive the onslaught of scientific scrutiny.
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The Symmetry of Snowflakes
Everyone "knows" that snowflakes have six arms (also known as dendrites) and that no two snowflakes can be perfectly alike, but this is not entirely true.
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Absolute Zero
For all practical purposes, absolute zero is the coldest temperature, but the complete story of absolute zero is a little more complicated.
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Solstice
Solstice occurs twice a year. It happens when either the northern or southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so that the hemisphere has the longest day of the year.
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Answers to Puzzles of the Elements
Last week I presented a series of puzzles using symbols from chemistry and physics. Here they are unravelled.
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Puzzles of the Elements
Think the periodic table of the elements is beyond boring? Perhaps you escaped it in high school. Either way, try these puzzles.
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The Trinity Test Site
The Trinity test site in New Mexico was the location where the first atomic bomb was exploded.
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Physics: Thanksgiving Edition
Jellied cranberry sauce is a traditional part of the holiday season, and is also a perfect example of a gel colloid.
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Electron Shells
Electrons captured in an atom don't fly around in circles as they are often depicted, but rather exist in a particular area around the atom.
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Facts About the Atom
Atoms are an intermediary step between fundamental particles and the material objects that make up our large scale world. This is a brief primer on the atom.
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Physics Through the Ages: Part 4
The early industrial age revved up the study of physics; industry and science were happy companions after the beginning of the Enlightenment.
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Physics Through the Ages: Part 3
After the Caliphate, the nascent Church helped to spur the European economy, universities popped up everywhere, and the pursuit of science found new patronage.
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Physics Through the Ages: Part 2
The road to modern physics has been rocky. The rise of Islam provided the tools and ideas that nurtured physics out of its infancy.
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Physics Through the Ages: Part 1
Understanding how physics developed in the past helps us understand where it may be going in the future, but it also sheds insight on how we perceive the natural world.
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Energy and Information
In the 20th and 21st centuries, computer science and physics have teamed up to explore the enigmatic relationship between energy and information.
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Ball Lightning
Ball lightning has remained one of the most elusive and enigmatic natural phenomena to ever perplex physicists.
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Book Review: Flatland
Many new theories in contemporary physics only make sense if higher dimensions exist, but how do you make sense of higher dimensions?
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Waves
Waves are ubiquitous in the study of physics, and we are intuitively familiar with them from a very early age, but what are they really?
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The Peculiar Vocabulary of Physics
Over time, the field of physics has discovered many new phenomena that defy easy description or naming. What do you call something that has never been seen before?
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Book Review: Quantum Enigma
The connection between consciousness and quantum reality has been bubbling up in popular culture and it has become unavoidable for physicists to address the issue.
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Dark Matter
Dark matter has long remained elusive, but recent evidence suggests that it does exist, making up most of the matter in the universe. But what is it?
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Theory vs. Hypothesis vs. Law
The definition of the word "theory" in the context of science is sometimes hotly argued by non-scientists
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The Physics of Hurricanes
Hurricanes have hit the popular consciousness hard - the increased hurricane activity has everyone worried - but how do they work?
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The Big and the Small - Part 1
At different scales, different forces have a predominate influence over matter.
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The Big and the Small - Part 2
Last week we looked at how the four fundamental forces influence matter on the atomic and microscopic scales, this week we look at the macroscopic and cosmic scales.
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It's Just Rocket Science - Part 2
Last week we looked at some of the basic principles of rocketry, now we are going to examine the more complex issues of rocket flight.
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It's Just Rocket Science - Part 1
In its simplest form, a rocket is just a flying container of fuel open on one end to give a controlled flight.
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The Physics Family
Physics is a discipline of science that includes many interrelated and active branches.
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Wormholes
A Wormhole is a theoretical shortcut through spacetime that connects two distant locations.
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Composite Particles
Beyond the elementary fermions, leptons, and bosons, are the composite particles which are made up of these elementary particles.
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Bosons
Bosons, along with fermions and leptons complete the 'zoo' of elementary particles.
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Leptons
Leptons, along with fermions (quarks) and bosons (which we will subsequently look at), compose the 'zoo' of elementary particles.
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Fermions
The fermions are a class of elementary particles that are defined by their 1/2 integer spin, and the fact that they make up the matter that we interact with everyday.
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The Particle Zoo
According to Einstein's famous equation, all matter is made of energy, but all matter is also made of fundamental particles - little, discrete, bundles of energy.
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Relativistic Effects
When an object with mass moves at a speed approaching the speed of light, it's inherent properties are changed in surprising ways.
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Transformers
A transformer is a machine simple in design, but sublime in its simplicity.
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Newton's Third Law
Newton's third law states that when one body exerts a force on another body, the second body responds with an equal and opposite force.
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Newton's Second Law
Newton's Second Law describes the relationship between force, mass, and motion, and is an essential tool used to unravel the mysteries of the mechanical Universe.
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Newton's First Law
Newton's First Law, the simplest of Newton's three laws of motion, provides a frame of reference for understanding all motion in the Universe.
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Book: Electric Universe
Physics Book Review: "Electric Universe: The Shocking True Story of Electricity" by David Bodanis
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Star Lifespan
Each star is unique, and the lifespan of every star is determined primarily by it's mass. The more massive a star is, the shorter its lifespan.
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The Neutron
The neutron is one of the most common particles of matter, and it is integral to the formation of every element other than hydrogen. Find out why.
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Parallax
How do you know how far away something is when you cannot travel to it? For instance, how do we know how far away stars are from the Earth? One way to find out is by using the principle of parallax.
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How to Store Bottled Whisky
Whisky is a pretty sturdy spirit, but certain things can hurt the flavor. Here are a few suggestions to keep your whisky at its best.
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Gamma Ray Bursters
Gamma ray bursters are among the most violent phenomena in the visible universe. In fact, if one occurred near the Earth it would incinerate the atmosphere in seconds. Fi
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The Coriolis Effect
The coriolis effect has to do with the rotation of the Earth, and little to do with how a toilet flushes in Australia.
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