Wed, Jan 20, 2016
Canada's Loonie dollar coin has eleven sides and is just one of a collection of two dimensional shapes that have a constant diameter making them roll very nicely. The shapes don't even need to be based on regular polygons.
Sun, Jan 31, 2016
Test your prediction. Which way does air flow between a highly inflated and a slightly inflated balloon.
Wed, Feb 24, 2016
In honor of the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland Steve built and Ames room where he can show Alice growing and shrinking. Will you look at that. It really works.
Wed, Oct 12, 2016
Steve's object here is to provide an intuitive understanding of entropy. He explains that entropy only changes when there is a difference in temperature so the heat can flow. Which means entropy changes involve the spreading out of energy that was clumped together.
Wed, May 15, 2019
Crystals that lack point symmetry can generate an electric voltage. Let's try it with quartz.
Wed, Sep 9, 2020
The ins and out of siphons and why some are self starting while other need priming.
Wed, Jan 13, 2021
Tensegrity structures use compression and tension to for a stable object that looks like it should fall apart.
Sun, Oct 17, 2021
Steve was offered a new prototype, Zipstring, of an old toy, String Thing, and he's having loads of fun with the counter intuitive behavior of it. It doesn't move as expected and makes waves that go the wrong way and makes weird shapes when it spins.
Thu, Feb 17, 2022
Steve demonstrates various ways to cause a pendulum to swing. Some are quite surprising.
Thu, Sep 15, 2022
Gas pump handles make clever use of physics and engineering to turn off automatically. Steve created some models and cut a pump handle in half to demonstrate.
Sun, Nov 27, 2022
Steve takes a look at spinning things. Specifically spinning things on spinning things. And ratios. Like a spinning ball on a spinning turntable revolves in seven circles every time the turntable rotates twice. Weirds. But it's also physics.
Thu, Mar 30, 2023
Following up on the Bergman Joe computer simulation of "water" solving a maze, Steve went to the trouble of building some mazes. And his results are different due to surface tension and air pressure. But indeed, water did solve his maze and with no wrong turns.
Thu, Apr 27, 2023
Intreiged by an incredibly engineer fidget toy, Steve investigates ultra precision engineering..
Thu, Jun 15, 2023
If you pull on a thread, rope etc. wound around a spool, the spool rolls toward you as you no doubt know event thought it's a bit counter intuitive. But that raises many more questions in Steve's mind.
Wed, Aug 30, 2023
Steve does his best to explain why (or rather when) it's impossible to hit a golf ball into a hole so you don't have to wade through the math like he did..
Mon, Oct 9, 2023
Steve explores a hydrodynamic behavior known to engineers as airlock with a flashback to his water maze and a new project building a Wirtz pump. Turns out airlock can be useful but you have to engineer your device taking into account several variables.
Tue, Dec 19, 2023
Steve builds a rig to measure the force of gravity. Turns out it's hard to measure. But there's a really precise rig at Imperial College London. So Steve gives it a try. It's still hard,,, but it works.
Sun, May 26, 2024
Playing with that everyday element sodium to create a black flame.