Category Archives: Physics

Q: How hard is it to build a space elevator? What’s the point?

Posted on June 19, 2019 by The Physicist

Physicist: Right around the end of the 19th century, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (of rocket equation fame) got to thinking about how a taller version of the Eiffel tower, built on the equator, might be a good way to get things into … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Engineering, Physics | 12 Comments

Q: Could we get rid of CO2 if we pumped it through a pipe into space?

Posted on May 31, 2019 by The Physicist

Physicist: Like any plumbing fix: it depends on the pipe. Evangelista Torricelli, the first to measure the weight of the air above us, once famously wrote that “Noi viviamo sommersi nel fondo d’un pelago d’aria.” (“We live submerged at the … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Engineering, Physics | 37 Comments

Q: In relativity, length contracts at high speeds. But what’s contracting? Is it distance or space or is there even a difference?

Posted on February 27, 2019 by The Physicist

The original question was: I can’t find a consistent answer to this question; please help.  A spaceship leaves Earth and heads to a star 4 light years away at 80% of light speed.  An observer on Earth knows that the … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Physics, Relativity | 26 Comments

Q: Can you beat the uncertainty principle using entanglement, by measuring position on one particle and momentum on the other?

Posted on January 31, 2019 by The Physicist

Physicist: The Uncertainty Principle is a little subtle.  Most folk are introduced to it as “the more precisely you measure the position of a particle, the less precisely you can measure its momentum, and vice versa”.  That makes it sound … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Physics, Quantum Theory | 7 Comments

Q: Why do clouds hold their form?

Posted on December 31, 2018 by The Physicist

Physicist: The short answer is: they don’t! Clouds are just a bunch of moisture in the air (contain your shock).  What’s a little surprising is that the transparent, non-cloudy air around them typically has almost the same amount of moisture.  … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Physics | 5 Comments

Q: Can free will exist in our deterministic universe?

Posted on November 27, 2018 by The Physicist

Physicist: It depends on what you mean by “free will” and where you draw the line on “determinism”.  Both of these are a matter of opinion, so philosophers (and the rest of us) will have plenty to argue about for … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Philosophical, Quantum Theory | 49 Comments