Brew Time Conundrums : Why does a kettle of water quieten down just before it starts to boil ?
They say that “a watched pot never boils”, but next time you’re in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil for a fresh brew take a moment to listen, rather than watch, to what happens just before your kettle reaches boiling point. A short period where it actually gets quieter – so what’s going on here then ?
Strange but True : Medical Scanners from Old Battleships
The idea that all war is forever over and that swords will be put to a more peaceful use is appealing, but seemingly ever beyond our grasp. The literal forging of weapons into a better purpose seems far fetched, so it will surprise you to know that today we literally are doing this! Medical Scanners are being made from old WW2 and pre-WW2 Battleships. But why ?
The Mile High Tea Club – Or is it Possible to get a Good Cuppa whilst In-Flight?
At guernseydonkey.com we take our tea very seriously to wit our advice on “Making the Perfect Cup of Tea”. So, to the next tea conundrum : Is it possible to get a decent cup of tea while on an aeroplane ?
Measuring Infinity – How Many Atoms Are There in the Universe ?
t’s no secret that the universe is an extremely vast place. But can we calculate how many atoms it contains?
Hard Science : The Relative Hardness of Being
Here’s a rather random, but nevertheless interesting, science fact : Did you know that there’s a Scientific scale of hardness ? And when you see it you’ll find that its surprisingly simple – no equations, no calculus and no test tubes involved at all.
The Joy of Slinky – The Physics of a Metal Marvel
I’ve recently re-discovered the joy of the Slinky – one of the simplest of all children’s toys and yet, so beguiling, as it seems to defy the laws of physics by hinting at some sort of perpetual motion. So how on earth does this work?
How to Measure the Speed of Light Using Chocolate, a Microwave and a Ruler
It took over 300 years of experimentation and refinement to arrive at the figure for the speed of light which we use as standard today. That being the case, the method proposed in this article for determining that speed yourself might seem more than a little surprising.
Is it True that Opera Singers Really Can Shatter Wine Glasses by Singing ?
The renowned soprano Dame Nellie Melba is reputed to have performed this trick and in 1971 the audio-tape maker Memorex based a very successful advertising campaign around Ella Fitzgerald shattering glass both when singing live and when recorded on its tape cassettes (a claim the company still stands by today).
Why are only some substances magnetic?
Magnetism is a manifestation of some very fundamental physics, ultimately linked to the orbital motion and spin of the electrons in atoms.
Can Magnets Wear Out?
Toy magnets sometimes come with warnings not to drop them or heat them up, lest they lose their magnetic power. But is that true can magnetic substances really lose their magnetism ?.
Where Does All the Light Go When you Switch Off the light Switch ?
It seems simple enough – you flip a switch, and in the blink of an eye the room has gone completely dark. But where exactly did all of the light go ? What actually makes the room dark?
Why Does Ice Float?
Water is one of the strangest chemicals in the universe, and many of its strangest features turn out to be essential for life as we know it, particularly the almost unique property of water related to freezing. So why does it float when it becomes a solid?
So Why Does E=MC2 ?
E=MC2 must be one of the most well known equations. But what does it mean? What is E amd why is it equal to MC2 ?
Why is the Sky Blue?
Viewed from space the sun is supposedly a ‘peach pinkish’ colour, while the sunlight that hits the Earth is white. So why is the sky seen as being blue? In a Nutshell : The sky is blue because air scatters blue light but lets other colours pass straight through. In scientific terms, colour corresponds to a particular wavelength of light and so white is a mixture of all wavelengths of the different colours. The...
How Did Something Come From Nothing?
How Did Something Come From Nothing? : Questions do not come much deeper than this and until the 1970s only theologians and philosophers felt able to take it on (plus physics students still in the bar at closing time)
