Don’t Toss That Busted Toy Just Yet—Grab a Multimeter
This essential tool lets you measure the electric current and voltage of a circuit. Here's what you need to know to use it correctly.
Launch an 80,000-Pound Sled off an Aircraft Carrier? Sure!
This electromagnetic catapult flings airplanes into the sky (and giant sleds into the water). Here's how to calculate the projectile motion involved.
Sorry, Sandra Bullock: A Fire Extinguisher Is a Lousy Thruster
In the movie *Gravity*, Sandra Bullock uses a fire extinguisher to maneuver in space. Controlling it is much, much harder than it looks.
How to Figure Out a Drone’s Angular Field of View
If you have a drone, you can use this trick to figure out the size of an object captured on camera.
The Way Superman Picks Up a Building Is a Physics Travesty
Superman is more than welcome to use his superpowers to pick up a building. But we really need to talk about his technique.
The Very Vortex-y Science of Making Snow From Boiling Water
Turning hot water into snow might as well be the official sport of the polar vortex. Here's what's those water molecules are up to.
This Fearsome *Titan Games* Event Reveals the Value of Torque
An event called the Herculean Pull looks like it's all about raw muscle power, but the real trick is to leverage torque.
The Formidable Physics of Mysterio in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
In the trailer for *Spider-Man: Far From Home*, the villain Mysterio appears to form a giant monster out of water. Let's calculate how much power that would take.
The Sensible Math of Knocking Over Absurdly Large Dominoes
Using a small domino to topple a taller one, you could in theory take down a domino the size of a skyscraper. Here's how it would work.
Thank the Old-Timey Telegraph For Your Garage Door Opener
The electric relay makes all kinds of household devices possible, but they don't get much love. Until now!