Freeman Dyson, the English-born American theoretical physicist, and mathematician who imagined a hypothetical alien megastructure called “Dyson Sphere” died on February 28, 2020. Freeman was 96 years old.
Category Archives: Physics
“Impossible Engine” – it is impossible
A good rule of thumb: if you see a headline saying something “breaks the laws of physics” (i.e. the “Impossible Engine”) the headline is flat-out wrong.
Why we can stop worrying and love the particle accelerator
What would happen if you stuck your body inside a particle accelerator? The scenario seems like the start of a bad Marvel comic, but it happens to shed light on our intuitions about radiation, the vulnerability of the human body, and the very nature of matter. Particle accelerators allow physicists to study subatomic particles by …
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Can we create a lake on the Moon?
What if we fill a crater on the moon with water? Can we create a lake on the moon? Would the water stay in this artificial lake?
LightSail 2 raised its orbit using sunlight alone
The Planetary Society has announced that the LightSail mission is a success and LightSail 2 just raised its orbit around Earth using sunlight alone on their Twitter account @exploreplanets.
How Earth Could Die [12 Horrible Ways!]
Now we’re living on a warm, hospitable planet. As Carl Sagan has said “That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.” We, humans, are the unquestionable rulers of our little oasis in a hostile universe. But …
The Melting Points of 80 Elements, Substances, and Metal Alloys
Have you ever wondered why plastic melts in a bonfire, but a cast iron pan doesn’t? A bonfire can reach temperatures as hot as 2,012 °F (1,100 °C). Most PET plastic melts at a measly 491 °F (255 °C), so it doesn’t stand a chance! Cast iron prevails with an average melting point of 2,100 …
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Timelapse of the future [an amazing video!]
Melodysheep published an amazing video titled “Timelapse of the future: a journey to the end of time”. This experience takes us on a journey to the end of time, trillions of trillions of years into the future, to discover what the fate of our planet, our sun, and our universe may ultimately be. If this …
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Is Evolution “just a theory”?
I recently saw a question on Quora and it was like that: “why is it called the ‘theory of evolution’ but the ‘law of gravity’?” This question is strongly related to a common misconception about evolution: “it is just a theory” – creationists always say “evolution is just a theory”.
How many great minds does it take to invent a telescope?
On 11 January 1672, the Fellows of the British Royal Society were treated to a demonstration of Isaac Newton’s reflecting telescope, which formed images with mirrors rather than with the lenses that had been used since the time of Galileo. Afterward, the fellows hailed Newton as the inventor of this marvelous new instrument, an attribution …
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