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Monthly Archives: August 2010
Liquid metal telescope
As previously mentioned, size matters when it comes to telescopes: the bigger the mirror, the better the telescope (i.e. the greater the resolution and light-gathering capability). The world’s largest single telescope mirrors are the 8.4-metre telescopes used by the Large … Continue reading
Tagged mercury, telescope
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Things From Movies That Cannot Exist Number 2: The Magical Shotgun
The Magical Shotgun (and it’s close cousin, The Magical Pistol) is a staple of the over-the-top action movie. The Magical Shotgun will be familiar to anyone who’ve ever watched a John Woo film: a character hit by a shotgun blast … Continue reading
Tagged shotgun, TFMTCNE
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How dangerous is it to ride a motorbike?
Statistics from the Office for National Statistics (via the Department of Transport) and the Motor Cycle Industry Association show that (for the year ending December 2009) motorcyclists make up 2.6% of road users, and 21.2% of road deaths.* So how … Continue reading
Naming element 114
Element 114 was first created at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, 120km north of Moscow, by bombarding plutonium-244 with ions of calcium-48. This created an unstable atom of element 114 (indicated by the asterisk) which then decayed … Continue reading
Tagged nomenclature, ununquadium
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My favourite “proof”
I have a favourite question in physics: “Why do things get darker when they get wet?” This is my favourite question because the proof is so brilliantly simple, and easy to demonstrate. Objects appear darker when wet because more light passes through … Continue reading
Tagged proof
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Things From Movies That Cannot Exist Number 1: The Grapple Gun
The grapple gun is a staple of the action movie genre: simply point the hook skywards, fire and have the gun lift you onto the roof of your local Abandoned Warehouse™ or Deserted Chemical Plant™. The Batman is particularly fond … Continue reading
Tagged Batman, grappling, TFMTCNE
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