Everyone needs some “go to” demos. Personally, I like this one. It’s not too difficult to build and it’s easy to use. Take a large block of wood (it needs to have a good mass). I used a left over ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about physics, science, academia, and pop culture. We're about halfway through the academic term at Union College, where I ...

Materials Needed: a piece of flannel which is clean and dry or paper towel, stream of water, flexible plastic ruler and a party balloon. In order for the stream of water to flow out, you need to open ...

Discover the fascinating world of physics with our "Simple Electric Train" video. In this engaging demonstration, we break ...

Physics is a glorious brew of diverse ingredients. No single approach is sufficient when grappling with Nature. Experiment and observation are essential, of course, but so, too, are concepts, pictures ...

When machine learning is used to suggest new potential scientific insights or directions, algorithms sometimes offer ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about physics, science, academia, and pop culture. I spent several days in California last week (thus the lack of blogging ...

The rapid retreat of sea ice in Antarctica can be explained by the "simple physics" of the sun's melting powers, according to a new study. Heat from the sun could explain why ice around the South Pole ...

Sometimes you think you have a complete understanding of something and then BOOM—a simple problem throws everything out the window. Let's consider a very basic physics problem involving pushing a ...

If you're like me, it feels like every time you touch something metal, you get a shock. Cars in particular are a problem for those of us prone to static. But what exactly is causing these shocks, and ...

Materials Needed: A can of root beer, a can of diet root beer, a large container of water and a deep sink or a bathtub. This experiment number four on our list of simple physics experiments with ...