Applied Physics

Constructal Law: Evolution Governed Science Of Airplanes

Why did the supersonic trans-Atlantic Concorde aircraft end up being a huge flop? It is commonly believed that European subsidies don't make for efficient airlines and the cost made it impossible to keep the aircraft maintained- but a new paper by a ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 24 2014 - 2:30am

Discovered: Cool-Burning Flames In Space

If you have watched the NASA channel recently, you might have witnessed a series of experiments regarding flames.  On the surface, pardon the pun, it may have seemed like a minor thing, but how flames behave outside our atmosphere has led to discovery of ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 28 2014 - 3:22pm

The NSA, Snowden, And Citizen Cryptology

In a previous article I demonstrated how to use a One Time Pad cipher using a pen, paper, and Scrabble tiles (or Boggle cubes). If used correctly, One Time Pads cannot be broken by the NSA or any intelligence service on Earth because the One Time Pad keys ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Jul 29 2014 - 5:12pm

Acoustic Bottles In Open Air Send Sound Waves On Trajectories

There's a new wave of sound on the horizon carrying with it a broad scope of tantalizing potential applications, including advanced ultrasonic imaging and therapy, acoustic cloaking, and levitation and particle manipulation. Researchers with the Lawr ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 4 2014 - 3:49pm

Putting Together How Things Fall Apart

Materials that are firmly bonded together with epoxy and other tough adhesives are ubiquitous in modern life — from crowns on teeth to modern composites used in construction. Yet it has proved remarkably difficult to study how these bonds fracture and fai ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 4 2014 - 4:30pm

5-Minute Science: Ketchup Packet Cartesian Diver

You can easily build a Cartesian diver toy using an empty one liter soda bottle (with the label torn off), a ketchup packet, and tap water. You may want to have a few ketchup packets on hand and put them in a cup of water to see if they sink or float. Keep ...

Article - Steve Schuler - Aug 12 2014 - 12:17am

How Geckos Turn Their Stickiness On And Off

If you've ever spent any time watching a gecko, you've been impressed by their uncanny ability to adhere to any surface- including upside down on ceilings.  A new study in the Journal of Applied Physics reveals that  the little lizards can turn ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 14 2014 - 10:26am

4 Reasons Computers May Have Reached The End

11 years ago, DARPA predicted that there was a physics-induced train wreck coming straight at the computer chip industry; the limits of what electricity and existing materials can do. Even then, quantum computers were touted as the answer, with black box ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 13 2014 - 5:45pm

Laser Makes Microscopes Way Cooler, As In-265 Degrees Celcius

Laser physicists have found a way to make atomic-force microscope probes 20 times more sensitive, using laser beams to cool a nanowire probe to minus 265 degrees Celsius.  Atomic force microscopes achieve extraordinarily sensitivity measurements of micros ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 15 2014 - 11:00am

I Found My 555 Guitar Tuner Circuit on talkingelectronics.com

It’s true. Here’s my 555 Guituner circuit: go to 50 – 555 circuits web page on talkingelectronics.com and search for “guitar tuner” and you will find my circuit. Actually they’ve modified it slightly. You can review my Guituner article here. My 555 Guitune ...

Blog Post - Steve Schuler - Aug 15 2014 - 2:48pm