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Weird science facts: April — May 2012

Posted on May 31, 2012

Though I stopped doing a Twitter weird science fact (#weirdscifacts) a day several months ago, I’m still occasionally posting facts as I come across them.  Here’s a collection of a few tidbits I came across over the past couple of … Continue reading →

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Physics demonstrations: rolling uphill

Posted on May 25, 2012

Some of the best and most enjoyable demonstrations of physics principles can be put together quite readily with very cheap materials.  A good example of this was the simple version of the Magdeburg hemisphere demo I discussed previously; another example … Continue reading →

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Philip Wylie’s Gladiator (1930)

Posted on May 24, 2012

Stories of superheroes have evolved dramatically since the appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 in 1938.  Where many of the first, like Superman, were moral, upstanding individuals striving to do good in the world, many modern heroes are flawed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Weird fiction | 1 Comment

The Giant’s Shoulders #47 is up at The Medical Heritage Library!

Posted on May 23, 2012

A week delayed, but worth the wait:  the 47th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders history of science blog carnival is up at The Medical Heritage Library!  In this edition, you can read about: the politics of Isaac Newton’s knighthood, the … Continue reading →

Posted in General science, Science news | Leave a comment

Personal book page for “Mathematical Methods”

Posted on May 20, 2012

Now that the semester is over and I have some time, I finally got around to writing a short book page for my Mathematical Methods for Optical Physics and Engineering textbook! This page will serve as a place to post … Continue reading →

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An American in Spain, part 7: the Plaza de España, Seville

Posted on May 17, 2012

Part 7 of a photo travelogue of my (not quite so) recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6) Our first full day in Seville was quite a busy one! … Continue reading →

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The secret molecular life of soap bubbles (1913)

Posted on May 16, 2012

Nature can be extremely devious in the way it hides its secrets.  Sometimes the most remarkable and profound insights are staring us right in the face every day in the most mundane phenomena. For instance, we have all seen the … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Optics | 7 Comments

Physics demonstrations: Magdeburg hemispheres

Posted on May 8, 2012

Sometimes one can demonstrate very profound and remarkable physics with very simple, even mundane, tools.  Last week I received the tools to perform one such demonstration by mail: This pair of iron hemispheres, with handles attached and a valve on … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics demos | 9 Comments

An American in Spain, part 6: Real Alcázar of Seville

Posted on May 6, 2012

Part 6 of a photo travelogue of my recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) On our first full day in Seville, we spent the morning visiting the Seville Cathedral, … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | 2 Comments

Coherence, plasmons, and me!

Posted on May 4, 2012

I don’t often talk about my own research on this blog… heck, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about my own research here, come to think of it!  I thought it would be a nice change of pace to describe … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics | 10 Comments