Science and reality
How do these giant balloons work? What makes them both easier and more complicated than a normal sized balloon?
The post The Physics of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons appeared first on WIRED.
In a recent Star Wars VII trailer, BB-8 gets tossed around in the Falcon. Here is an analysis of the droid's motion.
The post The Physics of Star Wars’ BB-8 Bouncing Around the Millennium Falcon appeared first on WIRED.
The New Shepard spacecraft plans to launch people into space. However, going into space is different than getting into orbit.
The post It’d Be Way Harder for Bezos’ Rocket to Get Into Orbit Than Just Space appeared first on WIRED.
Star Wars VII includes a new weapon, the starkiller. How could you destroy a star? Here are three ideas.
The post Three Ways a Starkiller in the New Star Wars Could Work appeared first on WIRED.
Holly Holm delivered a knockout kick in her match against Ronda Rousey. Here's an estimate of the impact force it carried.
The post Holly Holm Kicked Ronda Rousey With 50 Pounds of Force, Says Science appeared first on WIRED.
If you watch the wing of an airplane during turbulence, you will notice that the wings bend. Why?
The post The Physics of Why Airplane Wings Oscillate in Turbulence appeared first on WIRED.
Another Star Wars trailer brings another physics analysis. Can we estimate the formation of TIE fighters from one image?
The post The Physics of the Star Wars Trailer’s TIE Fighter Formation appeared first on WIRED.
Often people will say that there are three ways of doing science: experiment, theory, and computational. These people are wrong. Here's why.
The post What Computational Physics Is Really About appeared first on WIRED.
We have plenty of nuclear fission reactors, but not a successful fusion reactor. What's the difference?
The post Nuclear Fission Works Fine, But Not Fusion. Here’s Why appeared first on WIRED.
How does a ballistic pendulum give information about a bullet or ball? Here is a derivation of the classic introductory physics problem.
The post Ballistic Pendulums Are as Awesome as They Sound appeared first on WIRED.