Physics education research, electronic materials, and the musings of Christopher Moore, Ph.D.
Sep 16th, 2005
Can you imagine a world without tangents? According to Dr. Norman Wildberger the traditional way we “do” trigonometry is outdated. He’s on a mission to replace the conventional trigonometric toolkit that consists of sines and cosines. In this article, Dr. Wildberger explains: Generations of students have struggled with classical trigonometry because the framework is wrong [...]
Sep 13th, 2005
Solid state physicists are contributing to the battle against terrorism. And unfortunately for pseudoscientist “new paradigm” theory hawkers, quantum physics has another application. In this article, PhysOrg.com discusses newly developed Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) and their application in the war on bio-terror. Once optimized, these sensitive detectors could be combined with the ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [...]
Sep 7th, 2005
Gas prices have soared bolstering arguments for alternative energy sources. But are these alternatives any better? Any cheaper? Let’s see. The recent price spike in the U.S. is not due to a global shortage of oil. Hurricane Katrina disrupted several major oil refineries and has hindered distribution to the 48 states, causing a very local [...]
Sep 1st, 2005
I’m working on programming a problem solution generator. This will be one of the new features we will be unveiling soon. The generator will allow you to choose from over 100 common problems in physics, plug in your own numbers, and the complete, thoroughly explained solution will pop out with the right numerical answer. I [...]
You probably thought the first real application of nano-scale structures would be for computing, didn’t you? It appears researchers are studying ways to use nanospheres to fill the tiny holes we all have in our teeth. The result: stronger, less sensitive choppers. ScienceBlog reports: Preliminary research presented today at the Institute of Physics conference EMAG-NANO [...]