Applied Physics

Shamsheer: Indian Sword Is A Masterpiece Of Bladesmithing

Indian swords don't get a lot of cultural respect compared to the works of Spain or Japan but a new study used two different approaches to analyze a shamsheer, a 75-centimeter-long sword from the Wallace Collection in London, and found that it was mas ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 10 2015 - 11:36am

Making Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries

A nonflammable electrolyte may bring us safer lithium-ion batteries.  “With current lithium batteries safety is engineered through the battery management system,” says Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researcher Nitash Balsara, co-founder of Blue Curr ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 10 2015 - 1:53pm

In Gas Turbines, Some Cracks Are A Good Thing

Gas turbines are used for the production of electricity and in aircraft engines and they are sprayed with a surface coating to increase their lifespan. The coating consists of two layers, one of metal to protect against oxidation and corrosion, and one cer ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 11 2015 - 9:00am

Acoustic Power: The Surprising Efficiency Improvements In The Violin Over Time

Some of the most prized violins in the world were crafted in the Italian workshops of Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri in the 17th and 18th centuries. They produced increasingly powerful instruments in the renaissance and baroque musical eras. This Cremones ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 10 2015 - 10:12pm

Ultra-High-Frequency Radio Waves Mean A New High-Power Microwave Generator

High-powered microwave devices are designed to transfer energy to targets via ultra-high-frequency radio waves, in civil applications, such as radar and communication systems, heating and current drive of plasmas in fusion devices, and acceleration in high ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 11 2015 - 11:30am

Erector Set Magnetic Optical Mount For Laser Pointer

I’ll demonstrate how to build a simple magnetic optical mount for a cat toy (laser pointer). Though it is simple—that is, there aren’t any fine tuning mechanisms one would find on an optical bench—it is, nonetheless, inexpensive and flexible enough to use ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Feb 20 2015 - 1:47pm

What is "Navigated Voltage"?

What is "Navigated Voltage"? The short answer to the question "what is navigated voltage?" is that there is no such thing.  A slightly longer answer is that the correct term is "induced voltage". I was searching the web for m ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Feb 13 2015 - 2:44pm

The Tyndall Effect

You can use a simple cat toy (laser pointer) to demonstrate the Tyndall effect. “The Tyndall effect, also known as Tyndall scattering,” according to Wikipedia, “is light scattering by particles in a colloid or particles in a fine suspension.” You can use ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Feb 23 2015 - 7:19am

DIY Titration Lab Ware

You often see demonstrations of titration using an expensive glass burette, but you can build titration lab ware using a disposable serological pipette, a solder sucker bulb, and a ring stand or support stand. For this build I’m using the tripod stand fro ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Feb 24 2015 - 9:37am

Sample Serological Pipettes For My DIY Titration Article

Thanks to TransGlobal Scientific for the sample serological pipettes used in my article " DIY Titration Lab Ware." ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Feb 24 2015 - 9:39am