On Pi Day we answer the burning question: Is there any world in which pi does…
Author: Rhett Allain
How Do Heat Pumps Work?
Our in-house physics **** explains how a heat pump can warm your home without burning fossil…
Is This New 50-Year Battery for Real?
BetaVolt’s nuclear battery lasts for decades, but you won’t see one in your next iPhone—powering a…
Why Is Our Solar System Flat?
It started as a big old ball of dust, so how did it end up like…
How to Convince Your Flat-Earth Friends the Earth Is Round
Two experiments you can do yourself to finally, definitively put this question to rest.
Why the Polar Vortex Is Bad for Balloon Artists
Leave a balloon out in the cold and it’ll shrink and look pathetic. Sorry, but that’s…
School of Rock: The Physics of Waves on Guitar Strings
Playing the guitar is an art form. But the good vibrations you hear are a science.
How to Measure the Impact From a Collision
Things smash into one other. Here’s what to do next.
Could a Cockroach Survive a Fall From Space?
If you’re resorting to more, uh, unconventional pest control methods, you’ll want to read this first.
How to Measure the Calories in a Candy Bar—With Physics!
Step one: Trick or treat. Step two: Get out your bomb calorimeter. (Yes, that is a…