Physics
Tag archives for Physics
What is this all about?
Posted by Ethan on June 6, 2012 
“You don’t use science to show that you’re right, you use science to become right.” -Randall of xkcd In January of 2008, I began writing this blog, Starts With A Bang, both for myself and for all of you, because we all have something in common. The same planet, the same heavens, the same laws of nature and the…
What Lies in the great Pinwheel Galaxy?
Posted by Ethan on May 26, 2012 
“This seems to be the law of progress in everything we do; it moves along a spiral rather than a perpendicular; we seem to be actually going out of the way, and yet it turns out that we were really moving upward all the time.” -Frances Willard As spring gives way to summer here in…
Why Haven’t We Discovered the Higgs yet?
Posted by Ethan on April 3, 2012 “…the publisher wouldn’t let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing.” -Leon Lederman, author of The God Particle The Higgs Boson: you know the deal. It’s the last undiscovered particle in our current picture of all the fundamental…
The Physics of an Inclined Treadmill
Posted by Ethan on March 10, 2010 A bad day for your ego is a great day for your soul. -Jillian Michaels One of the most popular exercises at the gym is the treadmill. And why wouldn’t it be? Whether you’re running or walking, it’s a great way to get your heart rate up, get your body moving, and for many people,…
Q & A: Inside a Gas Giant
Posted by Ethan on January 20, 2010 I’m always happy to receive questions from those of you interested enough to ask them, and every once in a while one of them feels just right to write up an article about it. Today’s comes from Brad Walker, who asks about the inside of gas giants. Specifically, The question pertains to the insides of…
What do Americans Believe?
Posted by Ethan on May 7, 2008 The American Association of Physics Teachers just published a study of 1,000 likely U.S. voters about science, religion, evolution, and creationism. The results are frightening. Here are some of the “highlights” of their study: 38% of Americans are in favor of the teaching of religion in public school science classrooms. 65% of Americans do not…
How to Destroy the Entire Universe
Posted by Ethan on April 23, 2008 Since the dawn of time man has yearned to destroy the sun. – C. M. Burns There’s no need to stop at the Sun, though. Since yesterday was Earth day, I thought it was only appropriate to spend today telling you how not only to destroy the Earth, but to effectively destroy the entire Universe.…
Weekend Diversion: A Fun Online Game!
Posted by Ethan on April 19, 2008 Sometimes, gravity and motion has the power to mesmerize me. I found this online game called “compulse” which was so much fun, that I spent about 90 minutes this week just playing this game until I had beaten every level on the “pro” setting. Yikes. (My score is 104 under par, 8 under pro.) And…
Faster-Than-Light II: Information?
Posted by Ethan on February 8, 2008 To follow up on the faster than light post here, let’s ask another question: If you can make a way of transferring information that doesn’t involve matter, is that information limited by the speed of light? First off, let’s go over what information is, and then we’ll talk about how transferring information without matter is…
Faster-than-light travel: is it possible?
Posted by Ethan on February 4, 2008 Apparently, this is becoming a good place for people to get their questions answered! My friend Brian, recently wanted to know what the possibilities were for faster-than-light travel. Specifically, he was interested in it because he wants humans to do it. Brian: but otherwise how will we ever have a civilization like that in Star…
