Physics
A Thunderclap from a Clear Sky: The Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is the loud sound made when the shock waves created by an object moving faster than sound reach the ground. This article explains how sonic booms form, the small sonic
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Physics
The Secret Behind How Sunglasses Erase Glare: Polarization of Light
Polarization of light is the state in which light’s vibrations are lined up in one direction. This article covers how polarization works, including Malus’s law, the three ways ligh
Library & information science
Research That Wakes After a Long Sleep: Sleeping Beauties in Science
A “Sleeping Beauty in Science” is a paper that goes almost uncited for years after publication and then suddenly draws a surge of citations. This article covers what the term means
Robotics
The Robot That Walks Without Trying: Passive Dynamic Walking
Passive dynamic walking is the idea that a machine can walk using only gravity and inertia, with no motors or controllers, as long as its body shape and weight distribution are rig
Information technology
Less Power as They Shrank: Dennard Scaling
Dennard scaling is the semiconductor scaling rule that if transistors are made smaller while voltage is lowered by the same ratio, the power used by a given area of a chip stays th
Physics
Proof That the Earth Turns: The Foucault Pendulum
The Foucault Pendulum is a device that shows the Earth's rotation with your own eyes: a heavy bob on a very long wire whose plane of swing slowly turns relative to the ground. We l
Physics
Lifting a Car with a Small Force: Pascal’s Principle
Pascal’s principle states that pressure applied to a confined fluid at rest is transmitted undiminished throughout the fluid. We look at how it was formulated, how hydraulic device
Statistics
Collecting Chance to Find the Answer: The Monte Carlo Method
The Monte Carlo method estimates an answer by repeating a huge number of random trials and averaging the results. We look at how it was born, how it works in four steps, easy examp
Physics
Faster Flow, Lower Pressure: Bernoulli’s Principle
Bernoulli’s principle says that within a single flow, a fluid’s pressure drops where it speeds up and rises where it slows down. This piece covers how the principle came about, the
Physics
The Secret of Spinning Faster by Pulling In Your Arms: Conservation of Angular Momentum
Conservation of angular momentum means that when no outside force acts to change its rotation, the amount of rotation a spinning object has stays the same. This piece covers the co
Statistics
The Illusion That Comes After Choosing: Berkson's Paradox
Berkson's Paradox is the phenomenon in which a false inverse relationship appears between two unrelated traits when you look only at a group filtered by some criterion. This piece
Physics
When Light Cannot Escape: Total Internal Reflection
Total internal reflection happens when light traveling from a material with a higher refractive index toward a lower one hits the boundary beyond the critical angle and is reflecte