51 Best Physics Blogs

A few other people got the same email I did, promoting a list of the 50 Best Physics Blogs put together by Accredited Online Colleges Dot Org. It’s a fine list, with one glaring problem: They didn’t include Matt Springer’s Built On Facts. As you can probably tell from its frequent tagging for the daily… Continue reading 51 Best Physics Blogs

Book Countdown: T Minus 4 Weeks

The official release date for How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is exactly four weeks from today. So here’s a dramatic reading of Chapter 3 to mark the occasion: I’ve put this up before, but I edited it to remove the URL, which was apparently a deal-breaker for booksellers. And yes, I will post… Continue reading Book Countdown: T Minus 4 Weeks

Dorky Poll: How Do You Say That?

As every physics-loving dog knows, the idea that electrons behave like waves was first suggested by Loius Victor Pierre Raymond de Broglie (the 7th duc de Broglie) in 1923. The proper pronunciation of his surname is a mystery even to human physicists, though. So, how would you say it? Louis Victor Pierre Raymond de Broglie’s… Continue reading Dorky Poll: How Do You Say That?

Physics Is Going to the Dogs

There’s been an independent rediscovery of the notion of using dogs to explain physics, as you can see in this YouTube video of Golden Retrievers explaining the structure of atoms: Emmy thinks she should get royalties, in the form of cheese. But then, she thinks that about everything…

Poll: The Computers of the Future

Today’s Quantum Optics lecture is about quantum computing experiments, and how different types of systems stack up. Quantum computing, as you probably know if you’re reading this blog, is based on building a computer whose “bits” can not only take on “0” and “1” states, but arbitrary superpositions of “0” and “1”. Such a computer… Continue reading Poll: The Computers of the Future

Beyond Rocket Science

It’s not getting as much press as the “X Prize” for private rocket launches, but NASA has quietly been running a contest for work toward a “space elevator,” offering up to $2 million for a scheme to transmit power to a small robot climbing a 1km cable. Yesterday, the team from LaserMotive, including certified rocket… Continue reading Beyond Rocket Science