Light falls in a gravitational field, for instance, a laser beam fired horizontally across a room will be closer to the ground on the side where it hits the far wall than it was when it left the laser. Likewise, … Read More
The physics behind Global Positioning System (GPS)
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a framework that allows anyone, with the aid of a small device, to identify exactly where they are on the earth’s surface. The GPS is made up of several satellites in accurate, well-known orbits … Read More
The Operation of Magnetically Levitated Trains (Maglevs)
Magnetic levitation (maglev), take place when the magnetic interaction is strong enough to balance the force of gravity. The like poles of two magnets repel one another, and if the magnets are placed vertically and the strength of the repulsion … Read More
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
Newton’s law of universal gravitation is a physical law that states that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with the force of attraction directly proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square … Read More
Basic Facts about Superconductors
Most of the conductors we use in our daily life are metals such copper wire. While these conductors are useful in many applications, they are not perfect as they have at least a small amount of resistance, which implies that … Read More
Coulomb’s Law and Electric Field
According to Benjamin Franklin, we have two types of electric charges i.e. positive and negative charges. Positive and negative charges attract, but positive charges repel each other, as do negative charges.
The force F that a pair of electric charges … Read More
Uses of Static Electricity
Even though static electricity can be unsafe, it has some uses as discussed below:
- In vehicles spark plugs ignite fuel injected into the engine’s cylinders.
- Copier machines use static electricity. To produce a copy, most modern copier machines make a
Newton’s Laws of Motions
Before Einstein, physicists believed that the behaviour of almost everything was controlled by three rules called “Newton’s Laws of Motion”. The basic point was to relate the motion of objects to the “forces” that act on that object. These forces … Read More
Basic Properties of Nuclei
All nuclei are made up of two types of particles, namely: protons and neutrons. The only exception is the ordinary hydrogen nucleus, which is a single proton.
Atomic Number, Neutron Number, Mass Number and Isotopes
The following quantities are used … Read More
Bohr’s Original Quantum Theory of Spectra
Regarded as one of the greatest discoveries, Niels Bohr’s original quantum theory of spectra was one of the most revolutionary and successful theory of atomic dynamics.
Both Thomson and Rutherford recognized that the electrons must revolve about the nucleus in … Read More