Burgeoning Astronomer-filter: My husband is getting interested in the cosmos and theoretical physics. Any neat gift ideas to encourage this? I've googled the interweb but don't know where to start.
posted by jennyhead on Nov 27, 2009 - 26 answers

What kind of small toys or devices click when you rotate them forwards and backwards? Seeking mechanism or design... [more inside]
posted by pallen123 on Nov 21, 2009 - 13 answers

I go to a small Liberal Arts school in Pennsylvania, and part of the graduation requirements involve writing a substantial Senior Composition, basically a baby thesis (Original research requirements, rigorous, etc.) I'm double-majoring in Physics and English, and I'd love to be able to combine both of these subjects into one comprehensive paper, especially because if i can't, I have to write two separate ones. [more inside]
posted by Archibald Edmund Binns on Nov 18, 2009 - 17 answers

I have some weird, tricky physics questions based on a fantastic (non-real) premise, involving bullet speed and potential injury. [more inside]
posted by Caduceus on Nov 11, 2009 - 31 answers

What contributes more to the attractive force between a magnet and a thin piece of metal - the magnet's surface area, or its thickness? [more inside]
posted by howling fantods on Nov 5, 2009 - 5 answers

Can anyone suggest interesting careers for a physicist hoping to make a good impact on society? [more inside]
posted by qmechanic on Oct 29, 2009 - 10 answers

Physics question - involving cars, air, momentum, force, etc... Basically - how can I calculate the side force from a crosswind on my car at any given speed? [more inside]
posted by krisak on Oct 29, 2009 - 24 answers

bicyclefilter: Are there any sites or books that break down the science of a bicycle? [more inside]
posted by bluelight on Oct 29, 2009 - 9 answers

In a talk (at TED) by Brian Greene on string theory he says that there are "there appear to be about 20 numbers that really describe our universe..." He lists a few in his talk, but what are the rest of of those numbers? [more inside]
posted by bigmusic on Oct 23, 2009 - 7 answers

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

I'm looking for good quotations about science (particularly physics) and education that are suitable for the wall of a secondary school (ages 11-18) classroom. [more inside]
posted by alby on Sep 28, 2009 - 21 answers

I don't understand physics. How do atomic orbitals work? [more inside]
posted by jeb on Sep 21, 2009 - 28 answers

"There are only two types of motion in the universe: oscillation or rotation and you can't have exclusively one without a trace of the other. That's the reason machines wear out." Does this statement statement have any basis in fact and can you tell me where it might have originated? [more inside]
posted by bonobothegreat on Sep 18, 2009 - 17 answers

I'm trying to explain vacuum genesis and the probability that we'll all appear here again at some point.... to some friends. We've all been drinking. [more inside]
posted by Baby_Balrog on Sep 12, 2009 - 14 answers

A handstand on someone's chest while lying on a bed of nails? [more inside]
posted by ThomThomThomThom on Sep 10, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm looking for a forum that hosts discussion in the field of condensed matter physics and/or materials science. I'd like a site where scientists can go to ask and answer questions, similar to Ask.Metafilter, but a general forum would be good as well. Does anyone know of such a site?
posted by Aanidaani on Aug 17, 2009 - 2 answers

Does one 200 watt bulb put out as much or more light than ten 20 watt bulbs? [more inside]
posted by leemajors on Aug 14, 2009 - 23 answers

Are satellites (or satellite parts) ever made from metal salvaged from pre-1945 shipwrecks? Possibly to ensure that those metals were refined before atmospheric A-bomb explosions increased the background radiation levels? [more inside]
posted by metaBugs on Aug 4, 2009 - 17 answers

How would you get through a black hole? [more inside]
posted by smoke on Aug 3, 2009 - 28 answers

How was it proved that gravitation was a function of mass? [more inside]
posted by Lorc on Jul 6, 2009 - 10 answers

What are some simple experiments that help explain complicated phenomena? [more inside]
posted by Christ, what an asshole on Jul 6, 2009 - 15 answers

What textbook can I use to learn General Relativity, including the associated math? [more inside]
posted by DU on Jul 6, 2009 - 22 answers

What acoustical phenomena explain the apparent pitch-shifted echo I heard while observing tonight's fireworks display? [more inside]
posted by Songdog on Jul 4, 2009 - 12 answers

Is it too late for me to get into physics? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jun 30, 2009 - 15 answers

Was the entire universe created by the Big Bang, or is the space/time generated by the Big Bang part of a larger universe? [more inside]
posted by Lownotes on Jun 23, 2009 - 23 answers

Does expansion of the universe decelerate orbits of planets and/or rotation of galaxies? [more inside]
posted by knave on Jun 16, 2009 - 11 answers

Given a first class lever the fulcrum in the middle of the crossbar. If you know the weight of one of the loads (C) on the lever and the angle (A) the lever is resting at and the length of the cross bar (L), how do you calculate the weight of the second item (W)? [more inside]
posted by gte910h on Jun 4, 2009 - 9 answers

I'm reading Quantum: a Guide for the Perplexed and I'm enjoying the graphics, history and simplification of the math and science used to explain quantum mechanics. But I'm reasonably well versed in math and science - I took a year of college physics, linear algebra, and diff eq about ten years ago. Is there any chance of me learning to understand the equations and papers of Planck and Einstein that are the basis of QM? Are there any good books that could help walk someone like me through this stuff? Or am I stuck as a layperson unless I earn a degree in math or physics?
posted by Grundlebug on May 30, 2009 - 14 answers

I've just poured myself a Dark Horse Brewery Tres Blueberry Stout. A slow, steady pour that left a modest head on top. And then a droplet or two skidded around over the foam like a water droplet on a hot frypan for maybe five seconds before disappearing. Darndest thing I've ever seen. Beer geniuses, how did this happen? How can I make it happen again?
posted by ardgedee on May 15, 2009 - 6 answers

Do radio waves attenuate and become noise or do they go on forever? [more inside]
posted by MrMulan on May 12, 2009 - 14 answers

ForeignTeacherFilter: I'm a secondary (11-19yrs) science teacher in the UK and want to teach in the San Francisco area from 2010 for a few years at least. Will probably have to go private at first due to accreditation process - any recommendations for schools to contact? [more inside]
posted by bullox on May 3, 2009 - 6 answers

Physics-filter: in the context of a diatribe against memorization, a physics professor of mine once mentioned that she fell in love with the discipline because all of modern physics can be derived from a few foundational equations. So, what are they? [more inside]
posted by perissodactyl on Mar 18, 2009 - 16 answers

Does the curvature of space mean that the dimensions of height, breath and width are not independent of each other? [more inside]
posted by leibniz on Mar 2, 2009 - 45 answers

So, which would go further, a golf ball hit by a world class baseball hitter with a baseball bat, or a baseball hit by a world class golfer? [more inside]
posted by ian1977 on Feb 24, 2009 - 22 answers

why does pernod turn milky when water is added? [more inside]
posted by mwhybark on Feb 14, 2009 - 7 answers

In need of some daily source of random math problems (upto basic calculus) that will reinforce or (if necessary) re-establish some real fundamental concepts in the algebra portions of calculus, unless something else might work. [more inside]
posted by JoeXIII007 on Feb 11, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm a secondary physics teacher in the UK and would like to teach in California for a year or more from September 09. What do I need to do? [more inside]
posted by bullox on Jan 21, 2009 - 4 answers

What is the contradiction in the discussion of gravitational forces in the ... [more inside]
posted by woodblock100 on Jan 17, 2009 - 26 answers

What can you tell me about black body radiation? [more inside]
posted by PaulingL on Jan 15, 2009 - 8 answers

I left something (breadbox-sized) on top of the trunk of my car and forgot about it when driving to work. Now it's gone. Is there any way to tell where it was most likely to fall off based on sharpness of turns, highway speed, hills, etc.? We searched within half a mile of the house with no luck.
posted by Saucy Intruder on Jan 12, 2009 - 8 answers

Ice falling from tall buildings filter. Help me lay to rest a question that has plagued my wife. We live in Chicago, with lots of tall buildings. Ice falls off of the buildings from time to time and about once a year, some poor bastard gets mushed. Where in terms of physics and I suppose statistics would be the safest place to walk down the sidewalk: as close to the building as possible? The middle of the sidewalk? The far edge? Does it depend on building height?
posted by Ponderance on Jan 7, 2009 - 16 answers

StoryID: Alternate history where physics is based on angelology. [more inside]
posted by rwhe on Dec 31, 2008 - 8 answers

DensityFilter: What happens when you throw a nickel really fast at the fuselage of an F-16? [more inside]
posted by dbarefoot on Dec 28, 2008 - 18 answers

What might |000> + |111> mean, on a garden gate? [more inside]
posted by daisyk on Dec 12, 2008 - 13 answers

I remember reading a true story online about an accidental death in a physics laboratory during the early studies of radioactivity and nuclear physics experiments. I think it involved a clumsy physics student who accidentally dropped a brick of radioactive material onto a stack of these bricks which set off some sort of chain reaction. Can someone find this story online for me?
posted by Paul KC on Dec 9, 2008 - 8 answers

On a treadmill, what kind of slope/incline% should I set to simulate the strength needed for normal outdoor running? [more inside]
posted by lord_yo on Nov 19, 2008 - 8 answers

Need to get a double-check on some extracurricular science number crunching. A friend and I were wondering about how much effect cold temperatures would have on the speed of sound, and I had the idea to see if some handgun calibers could go from subsonic to supersonic at reasonably cold temperatures. After some extensive calculations, I think I have a pretty good set of numbers, but I want to make sure I'm not wrong. [more inside]
posted by Punkey on Nov 15, 2008 - 5 answers

Will there be any real world, practical applications from what will be learned with the Large Hadron Collider? [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Nov 10, 2008 - 12 answers

Wanting to leave academia after astrophysics PhD (oscillations in atmospheres of rotating starts, planets and discs). Need some feedback, tags, hints, keywords, that I should search in google and some suggestions of where my skills (look in the extended explanation) would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by gradstu1980 on Nov 9, 2008 - 11 answers

Why does an incandescent light bulb have an broad, continuous spectra when viewed with a spectrometer? Why doesn't it have some lines like a sodium lamp? I guess I'm asking why photons come off of a black body and why are their wavelengths spread out. Bonus points for clarity and accessibility of the answers.
posted by bdc34 on Oct 7, 2008 - 5 answers