PHYSICS & MATH

Facts You Should Remember This Pi Day

This year's Pi Day is something special because it is the first date in a century that represents the first five digits of P or 3.1415. To celebrate this perfect day, grab yourself a piece of pie and check out these fun Pi facts.

VIDEO—Watch How Researchers Tricked Light Into Revealing Its Paradoxical Nature

If you ever thought that you were alone in not understanding how light could both be a particle and a wave, you need not worry because you weren’t. In fact, for the better part of a century since Einstein theorized the dual nature of light, even researchers have had a tough time digesting the out-of-the-box quantum physics that this notion required to be true. Many researchers simply assumed that since the math checked out, and Einstein being the brilliant genius that he was, that the theory was right. But now, with some clever experimental design and a super-powered electron microscope, researchers are putting the doubts to rest and proving Einstein’s theory once and for all.

The Light Theory—How Researchers Are Proving Einstein Right With a Snapshot

As one of these few disciplines, quantum physics falls into a realm of science where well-documented and highly regarded theories take precedence. But explaining these theories requires a deep understanding of the underlying science, and devising lab experiments to illustrate them is a near impossible feat. One research team of American and Swiss physicists with the EPFL Labs in Switzerland, however, are doing just that. And equipped with some wire, a laser and quick-capturing electron microscope they’re proving what Einstein theorized was true — light can act as a particle and a wave.

Fluid Mechanics Finally Reveal ‘How Many Licks to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Pop’

Ever wonder, like so many other children, exactly how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Well, while many others couldn’t resist the temptation of biting their way to center of the sugary treat, researchers at New York University have officially calculated exactly how much work is needed to get to the center of the beloved lollipop. And it turns out that it is hundreds more than the talking owl once told us.

Eons After the Big Bang, and 80 Years After It Was Proposed, Dark Matter Takes Form in Andromeda

For decades now, researchers have long believed that the ever-elusive dark matter has comprised roughly 80 percent of the entire universe’s mass. But in spite of advancing technology, taking astronomers past the moon to far off comets/planets and back, researchers have not yet been able to identify the existence of dark matter in our galaxy or any other, and have not yet been able to isolate the hypothetical invisible particles in Earth labs either. But in what appears to be a strange X-ray emission from nearby galactic clusters, two independent European research teams believe that they may have found the first true dark matter known to man—and it’s not too far away either.

Bouncing Philae Takes Award for Breakthrough of the Year

It’s no big surprise that this year when reporters and editors of the journal Physics World came together to award the top-10 revolutionary breakthroughs of the year, that the team would have many breakthroughs to consider for the year of 2014. And though perhaps not necessarily the most technically successful mission this year, on account of the vast distances between Earth and itself as well as it bouncy landing, the team narrowed down the prospective list down to one to name the November 12, 2014 touchdown of the Philae Lander to be the most historic moment of the year.

Strange Andromeda Transmission May be First Sign of Dark Matter

While the ever elusive “dark matter” was first proposed by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the early 1930s, a team of European scientists this week believe that they may have detected the first ever evidence of dark matter in mysterious photo emissions of the X-ray spectra, emitting from the Andromeda galaxy, the Draco dwarf galaxy, and other galactic clusters far outside our own solar system.

A Historian’s Paradise—Albert Einstein Archives Continue to Grow

Often referred to in academic circles as the Dead Sea Scrolls of physics, the remaining letters and writings of revered scientist Albert Einstein have been a major feat for archiving since Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem inherited over 80,000 documents the late physicist wrote in 1986. But in spite of the sheer volume of works he left behind, that could be enough to overwhelm the senses, researchers over the past two decades have dedicated their lives and their careers to telling the true story behind the scientist’s brilliant brain.

E=MC^2 Wasn’t His Only Thought—New Archive Reveals Einstein’s Love and Laughter

Albert Einstein was undoubtedly a scientist not of his era. But in spite of his very public persona, living his life in the limelight, many are still not exactly sure who the man was behind the science. Living a life as exciting as his discoveries in the field of physics, Einstein is a man of many mysteries. And who better to divulge the secrets than the mad scientist himself?

Albert Einstein Archive Sparks Even More Reasons to Love the Man Behind the Theory—E=MC^2

There’s a point in nearly every individual’s life when they come to realize that their idol is nothing if not human beneath their perfect façade. And for some it’s a tragic state of affairs that reveals this shocking truth. But for others, it’s a sobering revelation that creates a tangible connection between them and their idol. If you’re a fan of genius Albert Einstein, and you’ve even got his haircut to match, this week you will be surprised to learn that you’ll have over 80,000 more reasons to idolize the beloved scientist, including perhaps a love letter or two that reveal a bit of a playboy side to the rebellious physicist. Released beginning this past Friday, Dec. 5, the Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whom inherited Albert Einstein’s vast written history in the form of some 80,000 documents he left behind, have digitized what is left of Einstein’s written words in a new online archive called “Digital Einstein”.

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Adds Two New Subatomic Particles to the List

There’s an art in the science of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. It’s not simply a method for smashing atoms together, but rather it’s a uniquely painstaking process that can reveal some of the smallest hidden secrets our world has to offer. And while the particles that CERN researchers are studying may be smaller than the smallest atom, by bringing to light quantifiably distinct particles only often thought of in physical theory courses, the discovery of every new particle is a large step forward for the advancements of mankind’s science.

CERN May Not Have Found Higgs Boson, But They Found A New Director-General

While earlier this week news surrounded a presumptuous theory that researchers at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in fact had not discovered the elusive Higgs Boson particle as they claimed in 2012, news from the people behind the discovery announced that the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) anticipates an even brighter future with a new Director-General at its helm. Selected at the 173rd closed session held earlier this month, Italian physicist Dr. Fabiola Gianotti will begin her five-year mandate starting on January 1st, 2016.
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