It’s long been accepted that the smoother the surface, the lower the aerodynamic drag. That turns out not always to be the case.
The multifarious methods we use to gather experimental data ultimately boil down to counting or comparing.
Here’s how you can hack together a radio transmitter and receiver out of stuff you have at home—and explore the weirdness of wireless.
On Star Wars Day, we put to rest a question that has bedeviled sci-fi nerds for years.
Take a group of runners circling a track at unique, constant paces. Answering the question of how many will always end up running alone, no matter their speed, has vexed mathematicians for decades.
Weirdly, spaceships have no direct way to gauge their own speed. Luckily, we can use some physics tricks to figure it out.
That’s good news, since the forecast is sunshine for the next 5 billion years.
Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard pioneered quantum information theory. Now they’ve been awarded the highest honor in computer science.
Who needs a supercomputer when you can calculate pi with a box of sewing needles?
For railroads, it’s all about managing static and kinetic friction.