Category: Physics

Scientific consensus: how research works

Research is a slow and long process. It is far from what is pictured, with a new discovery that becomes instantly the new scientific truth. When a new discovery is first made, it takes a while before it is accepted as a scientific consensus. The reason lies in how research works. Fundamental science Research is…
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Everyday Science #2: The milk pouring principle

Has it ever happened to you, when you tried to pour milk into a bowl, that it stops and goes, spilling liquid everywhere? Well, this chaotic flow is based upon a common physical principle that I’ll explain here. An important post to have a safe breakfast! Initial situation We have a carton with a hole…
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Science Fun Facts #2

A new set of scientific fun facts. For the #1, head here: http://allyouneedisscience.net/science-fun-facts-1/ Mathematics The movement of a runner’s ponytail acts as a pendulum and follows the equation: Joseph B. Keller; “Ponytail motion”, SIAM J. Appl. Math., 70(7), 2667–2672; doi: 10.1137/090760477 Computer science It takes two neurons for an AI to learn how to ride a…
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Breaking the sound barrier

Like seen in the previous post [1], when an explosion is faster than the speed of sound, a shockwave is created, with a sonic boom. I didn’t detailed this phenomenon, then. So I will do it now by explaining what happens when an object producing sound moves becomes supersonic. Properties of sound A sound is…
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What triggers an explosion?

Viewers of action movies or fans of the TV show Mythbusters have seen countless explosions. Fireball, detonation at a very high speed, involving explosives. Everyone can picture this destructive event. But do you really understand what is underneath this phenomenon? How an explosion occurs? Definition of an explosion Back to the basics, to what do…
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Everyday Science #1: The shower-curtain effect

Sometimes, weird events happen in everyday life. One of them might happen every single day while you take a shower. It never occurred to you that the shower curtain seems to approach you when the water is on, like it is coming for you? Well, it does and there is a scientific explanation for that.…
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A B Sinusoid D E F G 🎶 (part 2)

In the previous post [1] we established how sounds and notes works. We also explained the functioning of some of the most famous instruments: guitars and pianos. These two are part of string instruments, one of three instrument families. The other two families are going to be describe in this post: wind instruments and percussion…
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A B Sinusoid D E F G 🎶 (part 1)

Music is an important part of our everyday life. It is with us when we drive, when we run, when we go out, when we chill out at home. It calms us, it relaxes us, it soothes us, it makes us happy, it affects our mood and our emotions. With their different sonorities thanks to…
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Science Fun Facts #1

Mathematics There are as many positive even numbers as there are positive numbers (even or odd). It is because the two sets are in bijection. N. Bourbaki, Éléments de mathématique : Théorie des ensembles, ISBN 978-3-540-34035-5 Computer science The first ever computer bug occurred in September 1947. Indeed, Admiral Grace Hopper used that word when she found…
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What is the colour of radio waves?

“Well, we can’t see them, so it means they have no colour.”We can’t see them, I agree, but does that mean they have no colour? To answer this question let’s begin with the definition of a colour. Definition from the Encyclopaedia Britannica [1]: Colour, also spelled color, the aspect of any object that may be…
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