Home – Physics World
WEBPhysics World represents a key part of IOP Publishing's mission to communicate world-class research and innovation to the widest possible audience. The website forms part of the Physics World portfolio, a collection of online, digital and print information services for the global scientific community.
The physics of blood spatter
WEBTaken from the October 2019 issue of Physics World. Analysing the blood stains following a shooting can be key to finding the perpetrator, but it’s a field of forensics that is being called into question. Sidney Perkowitz explains how understanding the physics behind the blood distribution could help uncover the truth.
Twists, turns, thrills and spills: the physics of rollercoasters
WEBAug 14, 2021 · A unit that might make purists wince, the G-force is the difference between the acceleration, a, that you experience as a rider and the acceleration due to gravity, g, (9.8 m/s 2) divided by g and expressed per unit mass: (a–g)/g.This force comes into play thanks to the movement you undergo on the ride– you experience a “positive” G-force when the train is at the bottom of a hill, and ...
Overlooked for the Nobel: Lise Meitner – Physics World
WEBOct 5, 2020 · The 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics will be announced on Tuesday 6 October. In the run-up to the announcement, Physics World editors have picked some of the people who they think have been overlooked for a prize in the past. Collaborators: Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner in 1912, a few years into their 30-year working relationship.
The Casimir effect: a force from nothing – Physics World
WEBSep 1, 2002 · The Casimir force is the most famous mechanical effect of vacuum fluctuations. Consider the gap between two plane mirrors as a cavity (figure 1). All electromagnetic fields have a characteristic “spectrum” containing many different frequencies. In a free vacuum all of the frequencies are of equal importance.
The double-slit experiment - Physics World
WEBSep 1, 2002 · This article is an extended version of the article “The double-slit experiment” that appeared in the September 2002 issue of Physics World (p15). It has been further extended to include three letters about the history of the double-slit experiment with single electrons that were published in the May 2003 issue of the magazine.
What is time? – Physics World
WEBWhat is time? 24 Oct 2013. Taken from the 25th anniversary issue of Physics World, this article examines one of the five biggest unanswered questions in physics as selected by the magazine’s editors. Scientists and philosophers have been debating the nature of time for centuries, and despite some progress, Adam Frank believes that this is one ...
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: the woman who found hydrogen in the …
WEB08 Mar 2022. Taken from the March 2022 issue of Physics World, where it appeared under the headline "The woman who found hydrogen in the stars". Sidney Perkowitz delves into the work and life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, from her stellar astronomical findings to a career-long struggle with bias against women in the early 20th century.
New generator creates electricity directly from heat
WEBDec 9, 2013 · A new type of thermionic generator that turns heat or light into electrical energy has been developed by researchers in Germany and the US. The new design overcomes the “space-charge problem” that has plagued previous attempts at developing practical devices. The device is about four times more …
Paul Dirac: the purest soul in physics – Physics World
WEBFeb 1, 1998 · Paul Dirac was born at 15 Monk Road in Bishopston, Bristol, on 8 August 1902, and educated at the nearby Bishop Road Primary School. The family later moved to Cotham Road, near the University of Bristol, and in 1914 the young Dirac joined Cotham Grammar School, formerly the Merchant Venturers. Dirac was …