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Quantum physics theory is easier to understand than you think
Wrapping your head around quantum physics is tricky, no matter how well-educated you are -- if it were easy, there wouldn't be problems making quantum computers. However, researchers at the National University of Singapore believe they've found a way to make things simpler. They've determined that wave-particle duality (where quantum objects behave like waves) is really a manifestation of the uncertainty principle, which limits your ability to know two related properties of a quantum particle. As it turns out, you can rework the math for wave-particle duality to apply to certain uncertainty relations. They're just two sides of the same coin.
These videos prove that music and science can (usually) mix
Wondering how NASA could make a clever yet groan-inducing music video like "All About That Space?" Really, it's just carrying on a tradition of producing science-themed tunes. A lot of them are cheesy covers -- we've seen scientific riffs on Adele and Psy, among others -- while others remind you why biology, chemistry and physics are such wonderful things. We've rounded up ten noteworthy science music videos to show you how good (or at least, dorky) they can get. And if you've discovered any other cool or kitschy clips, be sure to share them in the comments.
Researcher finds a way to mimic curves in space-time
Here on Earth, it's rather difficult to replicate curved space-time -- to get that kind of effect in nature, you'd have to get uncomfortably close to black holes and other distant space objects. However, researcher Nikodem Szpak may have found a way to simulate that bend without facing oblivion. His proposed technique puts supercooled atoms in an optical lattice created by a laser field; so long as the laws of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics hold true, the atoms should behave like they're experiencing curved space-time. You can even change the lattice's pattern to mimic different circumstances, whether it's a moment right after the Big Bang or the surface of a star.
The scientists behind blue LEDs earn this year's Nobel Prize for physics
This year's Nobel Prize for physics was awarded for something quite useful to us all. While the honor typically goes to the likes of Higgs Boson research and other massively complex discoveries, a trio of Japanese scientists earned the award for work on blue LEDs. The third color of light emitting diodes can combine with red and green to create white light -- something you have have seen in those bright and efficient LED bulbs. Since the group developed the tech back in the 90s, companies packed blue-hued bits inside TVs and other displays, in addition to replacing energy-draining bulbs for a load of uses (traffic lights, car headlamps, etc.). Not only do white LED lamps/bulbs cut down on power use, but they also last longer than both incandescent and florescent options. What's more, that efficiency is constantly on the rise. [Photo credit: Jim R. Bounds/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Newly discovered particle is both matter and antimatter at the same time
You probably think of matter and antimatter as mortal enemies, since their equivalent particles (such as protons and antiprotons) normally destroy each other on contact. However, there are now hints that the two might get along just fine in the right circumstances. Researchers claim to have successfully imaged a Majorana particle, which exists as both matter and antimatter at the same time. The team created it by placing a string of iron atoms on top of a lead superconductor, forming pairs of electrons and antielectrons -- except for one lone electron at the end of the chain, which exhibited properties of both.
Real space battles would be more 'Asteroids' than 'Star Wars'
You're probably aware that most sci-fi space battles aren't realistic. The original Star Wars' Death Star scene was based on a World War II movie, for example. But have you wondered what it would really be like to duke it out in the void? PBS is more than happy to explain in its latest It's Okay To Be Smart video. As you'll see below, Newtonian physics would dictate battles that are more like Asteroids than the latest summer blockbuster. You'd need to thrust every time you wanted to change direction, and projectiles would trump lasers (which can't focus at long distances); you wouldn't hear any sound, either.
Physicist shows why your WiFi sucks in that one room
If WiFi can track a heartbeat through walls, why can't I get internet in my corner bathroom? Jason Cole was trying to figure that out too, but unlike me, he's a PhD student in physics. So he mapped his own apartment and assigned refraction values to the walls (shown above), then applied so-called Helmholtz equations to model the electromagnetic waves. As detailed in his (math-drenched) blog, the best spot for his router was where you'd expect: directly in the center. Since that was out of the question, he was still able to get "tendrils" of internet by placing it in the corner of the apartment. His experiment implies that even in a distant room you could eke some connectivity by judiciously shifting around your laptop. Some commenters want him to turn his equations into a WiFi mapping web service -- unfortunately, he thinks the idea is "unfeasible" due to the processing time and assumptions made.
Physics' best-known lectures are now available to everyone on the web
Ask professors about important physics lectures, and they'll probably point you toward Richard Feynman's famous 1964 talks. They led to one of the most popular physics books ever (over 1.5 million English copies sold) and helped generations understand concepts like quantum mechanics. They've been available to the public for a few years now, but there hasn't been an easy, legal way to read them online... until now, that is. The California Institute of Technology has finished publishing Feynman's lectures in a free, HTML5-based viewer that lets you read on any device with a modern web browser. Even the equations and diagrams are visible on small screens. You're sadly not allowed to grab offline copies, but these web versions may be perfect for brushing up on the fundamentals of energy and matter before a big test -- even if you have to study on your smartphone. [Image credit: Associated Press]
Scientists catch Schrödinger's cat with quantum physics
Schrodinger's cat, the good ole thought experiment that's been twisting (non-Quantum physicist) brains for decades. Scientists might have just caught it. Or not. Typical. What you see above is a combined image where a stencil was bombarded with cosmic rays photons, but the photons that generated the image actually never interacted with the stencil -- stay with us. It was separate photons (which shared the same quantum state as the ones that hit the camera) which arrived at the stencil. The science goes that when two separate particles are entangled, their physical properties appear to correlate and they share a single quantum state.
TUG alpha patch allows you to hunt dumb goats
What purpose do really dumb goats serve? If they're in TUG's new 0.6.3 alpha update, it's to be hunted for their pelts and cooked over a roaring flame. In a new video, TUG shows off several of the sandbox elements that went into today's patch. Players can create and cultivate farms, or alternatively go hunting for the aforementioned "dumb goats." There is also a physics system in place for projectiles, new craftables, and the ability to have a good old-fashioned cook-out. We're not kidding around, this is one goat-tastic video. Check it out after the break!
Roberts on Star Citizen's work-in-progress flight model
If you're keeping up on Star Citizen current events, you probably know that there's been quite a debate brewing amongst the game's backers with respect to the controls and the flight model in the recently released Arena Commander module. Cloud Imperium has heard the feedback, and Chris Roberts has responded with a huge post that clarifies his goals for the game's Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) as well as the flight model going forward. If you're a flight sim fan, you'll likely find it fascinating reading. If not, the primary takeaway is that Roberts and CIG are confident in the direction of the model despite community concerns. As Roberts says, "a portion of our community clearly feels the current flight model is 'wrong.'" "We actually allow for a lot more variation and nuance in flight and combat than a simplified Wing Commander/X-Wing-style flight model," Roberts counters. "Like learning to drive a car really well... it requires some learning. You have to anticipate where you want to be and plan for it." He goes on to explain how most space games use an atmospheric flight baseline with predefined pitch, roll, and yaw rates as well as capped speeds and linear acceleration applied to a simplified mass point. "Star Citizen doesn't do that," he writes. "We model what would be needed on an actual spaceship, including correct application of thrust at the places where the thrusters are attached to the hull of the ship -- in our model moment of inertia, mass changes and counter thrust are very necessary. Star Citizen's physical simulation of spaceflight is based on what would actually happen in space."
Scientists find a way to create matter from light
Scientists have long theorized that you can create matter from light by colliding photons, but proving that theory has been a different story -- you need the right high-energy particles to even think of trying. However, it looks like that once-impossible dream is close to becoming reality. Researchers at Imperial College London have discovered a technique that should produce electrons and positrons by colliding two sets of super-energetic photons. To create the first batch of photons, you have to first blast electrons with a laser, and then shoot them at a piece of gold; you produce the other batch by firing a laser at the inside of a small gold can to produce a thermal radiation field. If you collide the two photon sources inside the can, you should see electrons and positrons spilling out.
NHL 15 skating to PS4, Xbox One this fall
Now that the NHL playoffs are in full swing, EA decided it's the perfect time to offer the first details for its next hockey game, NHL 15. As the first game in the series to grace Xbox One and PS4 this fall, much of its features focus on its visuals and physics. For starters, next-gen versions of the game will feature "12 player NHL collision physics" as well as rebuilt puck physics, the former governing all actions by every player on the ice (like when they slam into each other) with "real-world physics."
Here's a neat new physics feature in iOS 7.1 control center
Here's a neat new physics feature we've just discovered in the control panel for iOS 7.1. The sliders for the volume and brightness controls have been given their own physics. When you quickly swipe the slider, the volume or brightness will continue to keep sliding depending on how fast you move your finger. Here's a video demonstration for your viewing pleasure.
World of Tanks video shows off destructible physics, World of Warplanes update coming March 6
Wargaming has released an eight-minute look at its physics upgrades for multiplayer battler World of Tanks. If that doesn't pique your interest, how does a Sigmund Freud reference grab you? The video's got one of those, and it leads into a destructibles discussion that's centered around the latest upgrades. Tank pilots can now punch through houses and watch them fall apart in real-time, and brick walls will even crack along the brickwork joints. In other Wargaming news, World of Warplanes' 1.2 update is now live in Russia, with a western release scheduled for March 6th. Changes include an overhauled post-battle screen with detailed combat stats, built-in recording capabilities, and a new matchmaker system that should allow rookies to improve without competing against veteran pilots. The WoWP press release and the WoT video are viewable after the break!
Impossible Road wants you to break the game
Impossible Road is something of a mix between physics puzzler and racing game, as you control a bouncy white orb known as "the Vessel" down a randomly generated track full of twists, sharp banks, jumps and drops. It's also a game where cheating is very much encouraged. Each session starts at the top of the track, which is suspended in 3D space with no barriers on either side or below. This means you can see a huge chunk of the track below you at any given time. When you begin, you're almost certainly going to cruise right off the edge on the first turn, fall into oblivion and declare the game a serious challenge -- and it is. You gain points for crossing gates that are placed along the route, and your final score will be determined not by how far you make it, but by the points you obtain from crossing gates. The farther you make it on the track, the higher the gate number, and the more points you gain from crossing it, so logic would suggest that you do everything you can to keep your vessel from falling off. But what you eventually learn is that falling off the track is not the end of the world, and the game is built in such a way as to push you to explore the possibilities of almost failing. Once you miss a turn or incorrectly predict a jump, you have a bit of time to find a new landing spot. If you do, you'll be a good deal further down on the track, and you'll benefit greatly from the much more rewarding gates. If you're looking for a new take on the traditional iOS racing game, Impossible Road will certainly fit the bill. It's US$1.99, with no pesky in-app purchases, bonus levels or other bells and whistles to worry about, and it's definitely worth your time.
New TUG video gives lesson in physics and crafting
If you dropped a ton of rocks and a ton of feathers from the top of Nerd Kingdom's office, which would hit the ground first? It doesn't matter; the fun is in watching them fall! And you can watch a variety of things falling in TUG's newest video, from stools to rocks to torches -- even trees! The video gives a visual lesson on the physics of the world, with items rotating naturally in the air then bouncing and rolling around once they hit the ground or each other. Add to that some horizontal velocity as things are hurled through the air and the whole things feels very organic. The gameplay display continues with a course in resource acquisition and combination; the natural elements gathered nearby are crafted into a simple weapon/tool. Study these new elements for yourself in the video below, then class dismissed!
Stanford's latest particle accelerator is smaller than a grain of rice (video)
Particle accelerators range in size from massive to compact, but researchers from Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have created one that's downright miniscule. What you see above is a specially patterned glass chip that's smaller than a grain of rice, but unlike a broken Coke bottle, it's capable of accelerating electrons at a rate that's roughly 10 times greater than the SLAC linear accelerator. Taken to its full potential, researchers envision the ability to match the accelerating power of the 2-mile long SLAC linear accelerator with a system that spans just 100 feet. For a rough understanding of how this chip works, imagine electrons that are brought up to near-light speed and then concentrated into a tiny channel within the glass chip that measures just a half-micron tall. From there, infrared laser light interacts with patterned, nanoscale ridges within the channel to create an electrical field that boosts the energy of the electrons. In the initial demonstration, researchers were able to create an energy increase of 300 million electronvolts per meter, but their ultimate goal is to more than triple that. Curiously enough, these numbers aren't even that crazy. For example, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin were able to accelerate electrons to 2 billion electronvolts over an inch with a technique known as laser-plasma acceleration, which involves firing a laser into a puff of gas. Even if Stanford's chip-based approach doesn't carry the same shock and awe, it seems the researchers are banking on its ability to scale over greater distances. Now if we can just talk them into strapping those lasers onto a few sharks, we'll really be in business.
Primed: The smashing science behind particle accelerators
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. Long before the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could smash its first atoms, researchers manning the Tevatron collider at Fermilab, in a quiet suburb 40 miles west of Chicago, raced to find evidence that the Higgs boson exists. After roughly three decades of service, the Tevatron shut down for good in late 2011, dealing the city of Batavia's largest employer a significant blow. Less than 18 months later, the LHC (the Tevatron's technological successor) also went offline - albeit temporarily. Only four years after recording its first proton collisions, the team at CERN is already scrambling to upgrade the staggering LHC, which lies under parts of no less than five cities in both France and Switzerland. With the world's largest particle colliders smashing a whole lot of nothing together for the next two years at least, the field of high-energy physics research is starting to look resource-starved. Of course, many might ask why exactly we need giant atom smashers like this, or even how they work. It turns out that first part is quite a bit easier to answer than the second. During the last several decades, particle accelerators have revealed the existence of elementary particles such as quarks, led to the discovery of antimatter and generally helped us unlock the mysteries of the universe. And once they were done splitting atoms and probing the darkest corners of theoretical physics, accelerators often led to breakthroughs in medical imaging and cancer research. So, as massive colliders seem ready to land on the endangered species list, it seems as good a time as any to explain what a particle collider is, how it works and what we as a society have to gain from the research.
Future soldier: Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku on building a Death Star and Silicon Valley brain drain
Morning light shines softly through a large glass window as a travel-weary Michio Kaku gamely musters a smile. Just a few hours removed from a cross-country flight from the East Coast, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this physicist is plain tired. Then the camera starts rolling. In an instant, Kaku looks rejuvenated as he plays to his audience and waxes poetic about his favorite subject -- science. In the world occupied by nerds and techno geeks, theoretical physicist and futurist Kaku is akin to a rock star. Chalk it up to a flowing mane of pepper-gray locks and the fact he co-created string field theory (which tries to unravel the inner workings of the universe). These days, Kaku can mostly be found teaching at City College of New York where he holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics. When he isn't teaching, Kaku still spends most of his extra time talking science, whether it be through his radio programs, best-selling books such as Physics of the Future or appearances on shows like The Colbert Report, where he recently enlightened Stephen Colbert about the dangers of sending Bruce Willis into space to blow up a deadly asteroid. As fun as it is for Kaku to talk physics, however, he also considers it a matter of survival
