clhs sciblog » Physics

Good-Bye 2009-2010

Mr. Faust — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:27:22 +0000

The grades are in for this school year. No more posts will be graded this year.

Have a great summer!

New kind of wind turbine

heynbn — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:30:55 +0000

A scientist from Caltech’s Biological Propulsion Laboratory studies water and wind concepts. Bioinspiration processes are used to identify different types wind energies that are used in the world. he started to realize that schools of fish have constructive hydrodynamic interference located inside of the schools.

There are some problems that occur such as lack of space, the propellers have problems functioning because there is no room. vertical turbines use a vertical rotor and are new, which make it possible to be put on smaller land masses which make space harder to fill up. the turbines work in the same direction

The computer models that they used predicted that the wind energy taken from the land are using a staggered placement approach which would be several times better than a conventional wind farms using horizontal-axis turbine.

He has bought two acres of land north of Los Angeles which hold six turbines on mobile platforms. I believe that these new types of turbines will help to make it possible to have more energy by not taking up so much space. By having more space we can save energy by using wind and it will not only make our lives easier but it will make our environment a more happier place. I think this is a great asset to our society which will help us to make bigger and better things in life that will change things for the better.

Read the full article here.

New World Cup Soccer Ball Criticized

smithcr — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:48:33 +0000

What difference does a ball make in a game? Well, when it’s the soccer ball that Adidas released for the World Cup, it means everything. The new “Jabulani” ball that was created specifically for the World Cup is said to have abnormal flight patterns. The goalie from Spain went so far as to criticize Adidas new ball by saying, “It’s a little sad that the World Cup has a ball of such poor quality.” A research lab in Japan was the first to test this new ball in a wind tunnel and said it does in fact take “awkward” flight patterns.

If this new ball is in fact used, as it is being planned on, it may create controversy about the outcome of some of the matches. Many of the goal keepers may complain that the flight patterns of the ball made it impossible to stop the shot from scoring, whereas the older balls may have been more predictable. We certainly don’t want any discord arising during the World Cup, which is one of the most prestigious sports tournaments in the world. If this new ball design is the deciding factor in an important match, we certainly don’t want any nations becoming angry because of something as small as the design of a soccer ball.

Read the full article here.

Q4-EC

Scientific Photo Contest

smithcr — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:01:50 +0000

How many times have you seen scientists get creative to win a photography contest? Well that’s exactly what happens once a year at Princeton University during the “Art of Science” contest. This contest that is held gives scientists a way to show their work in a creative way and gain recognition for it. This years winner was physicist Jerry Ross with his photo Spacecraft that Passes Gas (right).

This contest is an inventive way for people to see the wonders that are being created in a way that is fun for everyone. Lets face it, who doesnt like art? Whether we realize it or not, everyone has an appreciation for some type of art. Princeton University came up with a fun way for scientists to show the world their newest projects and show the world how extremely amazing science can be.

Read the full article here.

Q4-EC

Wintergreen Mint Spark

laurenea — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:40:00 +0000

When you bite into a Life Saver Mint it creates a spectacular spark. Why? This is because the electrical charge builds up in the crystalline shape of the sugar within the candy. The effect is called triboluminescence. It occurs when the electrical charge is vigorously released as the structure of the crystals is broken. This not only happens to sugar candy, but also anything that is torn or broken. When atoms get forced apart violently, they lose a bigger portion of their electrons quicker than usual. The electrons look for balance, so they bounce around until they find somewhere to rest.

When the atoms are smashed, the electrons are dragged out of their atom orbits. These electrons clash with air molecules and the electrons convert a portion of their energy in the collision. The more pieces of candy that are crushed at one time, the more the amount of atomic damage, which means a cool light show.

I think this is amazing.

To learn more, click here.

Q4-3

The Life of a Bubble

matteuje — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:03:48 +0000

Led by the University of Melbourne, a team of engineers, chemists, and mathematicians have been gathered to study bubbles, specifically how they collide. This was before impossible, but with advances in facilities and microscopes it is now possible. The team believes this will affect many different areas of life, like in food (ice cream), water treatment, and the mining industry. You can read more about this here.

This seems like it will lead to many small changes in what we do, because bubbles are in many places in our lives. The understanding of how bubbles work could, like the team said, lead to a variety of changes in many industries. These changes will most certainly be for the better, and improve how we interact with bubbles.

A Mini Black Hole?

matteuje — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:28:35 +0000

In China, scientists were able to build a device that simulated the effects of a black hole, being able to absorb and trap microwaves. This was created with 60 concentric layers of copper coated meta-materials. It traps the microwaves using patterns of resonant and non resonant meta-materials. They are able to spiral the radiation inward and convert its energy into heat. Even though right now it can only trap microwaves, the scientists plan on creating a device that will be able to absorb light. You can read more about the article here.

This device seems like it can have many different applications. It is theorized that we can send them into space to absorb microwaves, or as some kind of heater. The ability to transfer radiation into heat can also help when a disaster strikes or in a place that becomes radiated. It seems like it can have many useful abilities.

‘Light from sound’ could spot cancers and terrorists

rauschrs — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:19:11 +0000

A device is being developed that may be able to convert sound into light at a frequency that can find cancer spots before they are visibly detectable. These light waves reflect off of explosives and other weapons in order to make them known. Read more here. When you combine two semiconductors into a crystal and an intense high-frequency sound wave hits the crystal, it starts compression wave that goes through the crystal, trapping the semiconductor’s free electrons in the wave-troughs.

“The oscillating electrons act as dipoles and emit photons at terahertz frequencies, which Fromhold says could find uses in medical imaging and security.” This is very useful in that this it could be used in various ways for medical and national security purposes. Although this technology still is under development, the idea is unique and useful.

Q4-3

Alternative Energy Technologies

foleyjt — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:16:50 +0000

Members of Congress are discussing alternative energy sources that can be used to reduce our dependence on imported items such as oil. They have recently been pushing changes due to the problems of cave-ins at coal mines and oil spills. Researchers have been looking into a new type of energy that can be made by dairy cows. According to GHD, just four cows can power a small apartment.They also have been researching other sources such as appliances that can run on hydrogen. To read the full article, click here.

These ideas that researchers have for alternative energy sources can be very useful in the future. It can help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and create job opportunities here in the U.S. The improvements they are making will also help to make things more energy efficient and can reduce energy bills. Stay tuned to see how this one plays out.

Odd Resources for Power

smithcr — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:26:51 +0000

Members of Congress and scientists met at a conference in Washington DC to talk about some new different types of energy resources. These resources include anything from using cow manure to produce energy to using tinted glass to keep your inside cool to keep from running air conditioning. Many other ways are being thought up in order to save energy or make a new type of energy.

The way our world is heading, many of our natural resources are being used up, or are extremely dangerous to try and retrieve. As Representative Jay Inslee says, “We’ve never been injured by a photon spill.” If we can come up with new ways to conserve our energy or find new ways to produce energy, it makes it that much easier for us to conserve our natural resources while we still have them and reduce our consumption of everything we have before we realize it is too late.

Read the full article here.

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