The non-scientific mind has the most ridiculous ideas of the precision of laboratory work, and would be much surprised to learn that, excepting electrical measurements, the bulk of it does not exceed the precision of an upholsterer who comes to measure a window for a pair of curtains. —Charles S. Peirce (1908) No doubt Charles Sanders […]
Tag: Physics
The Physics of Water-skipping Stones
In stone skipping, one tosses a stone with a flattened surface across water (or other fluid) to try to get it to bounce as many times as possible. (There are also military applications, but let’s stick to the fun stuff.) A few months ago, mechanical engineer Tadd Truscott and collagues wrote a quick study on […]
Gilbert and Sullivan (and Cambridge, Condensed-Matter Physics, and The Elements)
Tom Lehrer once proclaimed, as part of the song “Clementine,” that songs from Gilbert and Sullivan (especially when it comes to a “rousing finale”) were “full of words and music and signifying nothing.” Of course, Gilbert and Sullivan often provide a great foundation to write a parody, as Tom Lehrer himself demonstrated in “The Elements” (and […]
Plush Dissected Knit Creatures and Other Scientific Wonders
For several years, people have been able to experience the joys of plush microbes (these are awesome), plush subatomic particles, and even plush statistical distributions. Well, for people who are more into anatomy — or who want a soft way of learning about it — you can also get plush versions of dissected animals (and […]