Applied Physics

Road Markings Work Better In The Direction The Paint Was Applied

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that painted road markings, such as the lines separating traffic lanes, are significantly better at reflecting headlights in the direction that the paint was applied. This finding will help determine h ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 10 2009 - 9:32am

Prosthetic Ear Held In Place By Magnets

To look at Matthew Houdek, you could never tell he was born with virtually no left ear. A surgery at Loyola University Health System made it possible for Houdek to be fitted with a prosthetic ear that looks just like the real thing. Ear-nose-throat surgeon ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 18 2009 - 11:28am

Being Blue- OLED Lights 25 Percent Closer To Prime Time

Lighting consumes one-fifth of the electricity generated in the United States. Solid-state lighting offers tremendous potential to improve the situation – once major research challenges are overcome.  The most promising technology is the organic light-emit ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 22 2009 - 1:09pm

Nanostructures, Not Pigments- Bird Feather Colors And Beer Foam Get Some Answers

Some of the brightest colors in nature are created by tiny nanostructures with a structure similar to beer foam or a sponge, according to Yale University researchers.    Most colors in nature—from the color of our skin to the green of trees—are produced by ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 2 2009 - 11:29am

The forces of hockey- the slapshot

Combine an elementary physics formula, f=m*a, with a hunk of wood or composite material and you get hockey's most powerful shot- the slapshot. Every year before the NHL All-Star game, players compete for the title of fastest slapshot in the league. Th ...

Blog Post - Becky Jungbauer - Apr 5 2009 - 8:40pm

I'm Forever Imploding Bubbles- New Sensor Measures Localized Ultrasonic Cavitation

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has developed the first sensor capable of measuring localized ultrasonic cavitation – the implosion of bubbles in a liquid when a high frequency sound wave is applied. The sensor will help hospitals ensure that their ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 7 2009 - 9:20am

Your Future Computer Memory, Courtesy Of Magnetic Vortex Chirality?

Researchers at the University of Arkansas have shown that changing the chirality, or direction of spin, of a nanoscale magnetic vortex creates an electric pulse, suggesting that such a pulse might be of use in creating computer memory and writing informati ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 8 2009 - 9:22pm

'Near-Field' Radiation Therapy For Overheating Laptops

Our modern age has become accustomed to regular improvements in information technology, says Slava Rotkin, but these advances do not come without a cost. Take the laptop, for example. Its components, especially its billions of semiconductor electronic circ ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 13 2009 - 1:31pm

No More Long Boot Times- 'Instant On' Computing Thanks To Ferroelectric Materials

The ferroelectric materials found in today's "smart cards" used in subway, ATM and fuel cards soon may eliminate the time-consuming booting and rebooting of computer operating systems by providing an "instant-on" capability as well ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 17 2009 - 3:41pm

Discovery- Waltzing Algae (Or Minueting Volvox, If You Prefer)

Scientists at Cambridge University have discovered that freshwater algae can form stable groupings in which they dance around each other, miraculously held together only by the fluid flows they create. Their research was published today in Physical Review ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 20 2009 - 9:48am