In 1911 Niels Bohr used quantum theory to explain how negatively charged electrons could remain in certain orbits without radiating energy. Patent 5695344 describes an educational demonstrator that simulates the theoretical orbital motion of electrons around the nucleaus of various elements. The device works by magnetically deflecting a series of wires. Inside a container is […]
This year saw many advances in physics. PhysicsWeb has compiled a list of ten highlights (in no particular order) of 1997
In an effort to compete against US defence companies, the UK, French and German governments have called on European defence companies to merge into a single company
One of the holy grails of medicine is the production of a compound that help speeds up the regeneration of bone. Toshiyuki Ohnishi and Nobuhiro Moriyama, have patented a material they claim can do so. The bone inducing material comprising a piezoelectric porous membrane. It has been known for sometime that bone has piezoelectric properties, […]
When we walk across a room, our eyes automatically adjust to keep objects in focus. The eyeballs swivel in their sockets to compensate for the movement. Professional camera operators use a harness containing a bulky set of counter-weights to achieve the same effect. In aircraft, a series of spinning mirrors or mechanical scanning devices are […]
Industrialized countries have agreed to cut their emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide by 5.2% below 1990 levels
In addition to being very strong and flexible, carbon nanotubes also have unusual electronic properties. Nanotubes are described by two numbers, conventionally m and n, and a specific nanotube can be metallic or semiconducting, depending on these numbers. Nanotubes are made by rolling up two-dimensional sheets of carbon atoms. The atoms are arranged in hexagons […]
If plans to build the European Spallation Source are successful it will be the world's most powerful neutron source and will revolutionize many areas of experimental science
Read article: Neutrons for the future
The growth in the use of mobile phones and portable computers is placing new demands on battery technology, but a new type of lithium battery could solve many of these problems
Physicists form a rather closed group of people. You may occasionally talk to a chemist or a mathematician, but how often do you cross the campus to speak to people working in the relatively new academic disciplines of “science studies”, “sociology of scientific knowledge” (SSK) or “science, technology and society” (STS). Do you even talk […]
