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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: Physics
Benjamin Franklin shocks the world! (1752)
Back in 1752, Benjamin Franklin performed an epic — and incredibly dangerous — experiment. In order to show that lightning is a form of electricity, he flew a kite in a thunderstorm with a key attached. The key drew off … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
18 Comments
Whittaker breaks the irony meter (1910/1953)
I’m currently working my way through E.T. Whittaker‘s monumental A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity (1910), among other things. Whittaker’s book is a very comprehensive study of electricity and aether that stretches back from the seventeenth century … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
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R.W. Wood’s lecture demonstrations (1897-1905)
With all the concerted efforts into popularizing science that goes on these days, it is quite easy to forget that some of the best scientists throughout history put a lot of effort into making their knowledge accessible both to students … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Alan Hirshfeld's The Electric Life of Michael Faraday
In my blogging on the history of science, I tend to focus on the details of classic experiments — the how, why, and what of scientific history — and don’t dwell as much on “who” actually does the work. The … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics, [PhysicalScience]
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Tolman goes silly for similitude! (1914)
This post is for the special “fools, failures and frauds” edition of The Giant’s Shoulders. The early 20th century was clearly an exciting time to be a physicist. In 1905, Einstein published his special theory of relativity, radically revising human … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics, [PhysicalScience]
10 Comments
Right-wing refutations of relativity really, really wrong!
Back when I first started my blog, I spent a lot more time dealing with crazy people who are convinced that Einstein’s theories of relativity are wrong (see here, here and here). More recently, I haven’t spent a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Relativity
53 Comments
Cerenkov sees the light (1937)
This particular post serves a double purpose: highlighting an important event in the history of physics and highlighting an important moment of my personal interest in said history! The event in question is the publication of a letter in the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
27 Comments
Freaks & geeks: optical freak waves in the laboratory
One of the most fruitful and intriguing avenues for developing novel scientific research is through cross-pollination with other fields of study. This is one of the reasons I’m proud of my excessively liberal arts-focused education, as well as one of … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
7 Comments
Invisibility physics: Kerker’s “invisible bodies”
(This is a continuation of my “history of invisibility physics” series of posts. The earlier posts are: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI) The history of invisibility physics truly began with the concept of … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics
17 Comments
Shocking: Michael Faraday does biology! (1839)
(This is my entry to the first “special edition” of The Giant’s Shoulders, dubbed “The Leviathan’s Shoulders”, with an emphasis on oceans and ocean life. The post is actually about a river creature, but, hey, it’s still aquatic!) I’ve spent … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
24 Comments
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