Captain America’s Kick Would Only Work if He Was Rocket-Powered

In a trailer for Captain America Civil War, one clip shows Cap kicking a soldier who then flies back. Is momentum conserved in this collision? The post Captain America's Kick Would Only Work if He Was Rocket-Powered appeared first on WIR...

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If You Like Volcanoes Behaving Badly, Follow Them on Twitter

Quite a few volcano observatories or volcano monitoring agencies are on Twitter, giving us the latest news of eruption to the second. The post If You Like Volcanoes Behaving Badly, Follow Them on Twitter appeared first on WIRE...

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The Physics of Buster’s Epic End in the MythBusters Finale

In the final episode of The MythBusters, Buster the crash test dummy went on one last mission to ride a rocket sled. What was his acceleration? The post The Physics of Buster's Epic End in the MythBusters Finale appeared first on WIRE...

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Think You Can Drive Fast Enough to Escape an Erupting Volcano?

Gigantic eruptions from volcanoes strike terror in most people, but new research suggests that you might just be able to get out of harm's way in time. The post Think You Can Drive Fast Enough to Escape an Erupting Volcano? appeared first...

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The 4 Most Important Things MythBusters Taught the World

Science is just like other activities that make us human: art, music, and emoji (actually, just kidding about the emoji). The post The 4 Most Important Things MythBusters Taught the World appeared first on WIRE...

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Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano Is Spewing Ash 4 Miles High

Tungurahua picked up where it left off in 2015 with some impressive explosions. The post Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano Is Spewing Ash 4 Miles High appeared first on WIRE...

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Doing Loops in a Tomorrowland Jet Pack Might Kill You

In the movie Tomorrowland, people have jetpacks (or rocket packs). Here is an analysis of the acceleration of a rocket pack. The post Doing Loops in a Tomorrowland Jet Pack Might Kill You appeared first on WIRE...

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The Physics of Dropping Out of a Plane in an Inflatable Ball

The MythBusters wanted to test if you could survive a fall in an inflatable ball. But how high would you have to drop it to reach terminal velocity? The post The Physics of Dropping Out of a Plane in an Inflatable Ball appeared first on ...

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LIGO Ain’t a Gravitational Wave Detector—It’s an Observatory

In order to use LIGO for astronomy, you need to know the location of the source of the gravitational waves. Here's how that works. The post LIGO Ain't a Gravitational Wave Detector—It's an Observatory appeared first on WIRE...

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The Volcanoes of Nicaragua Sure Have Been Cranky This Year

Five volcanoes in Nicaragua has been restless so far in busy 2016 for the Central American nation. The post The Volcanoes of Nicaragua Sure Have Been Cranky This Year appeared first on WIRE...

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Science Fairs Have Lost Their Way. Let’s Make Them Cool Again

If you have ever judged a science fair, you can easily see that there are some problems. How can we fix this? Here are some ideas. The post Science Fairs Have Lost Their Way. Let's Make Them Cool Again appeared first on WIRE...

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Calculating Calories by Burning Gummy Bears to Death

In a recent episode of the MythBusters, the team launched a rocket with Gummy Bear fuel and one with poop as a fuel. How do you know how much energy is stored? The post Calculating Calories by Burning Gummy Bears to Death appeared first on...

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Mount St. Helens Has Nothing on Its Little-Known Neighbors

You might not think the middle of Oregon is volcano central, but over the last 5,000 years, it really is. The post Mount St. Helens Has Nothing on Its Little-Known Neighbors appeared first on WIRED...

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6 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Gravitational Waves

There are so many cool aspects of LIGO's detection of gravitational waves. Here are six ideas for you to consider. The post 6 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Gravitational Waves appeared first on WIRED...

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Dominate Calculus With a Few Easy Tricks

A numerical integration solves an integral by breaking into a finite number of sums. This is fairly straightforward to do with a computer. The post Dominate Calculus With a Few Easy Tricks appeared first on WIRED...

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Watch One of the First Volcanic Eruptions Ever Filmed

Could this film of Lassen Peak erupting in 1915 be one of the oldest existing films of a volcanic eruption? The post Watch One of the First Volcanic Eruptions Ever Filmed appeared first on WIRED...

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The Physics of OK Go’s Epic New Zero-G Video

OK Go has created another epic video. This one involves a zero g environment inside of an aircraft. Here' how it works. The post The Physics of OK Go’s Epic New Zero-G Video appeared first on WIRED...

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Using Gravitational Waves to Pinpoint Colliding Black Holes

In the recent LIGO announcement, it was claimed the event was two colliding black holes 1.3 billion years ago. How do we know this? The post Using Gravitational Waves to Pinpoint Colliding Black Holes appeared first on WIRED...

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You–Yes, You–Can Calculate the Speed of Light With Jupiter

Ole Roemer used the moons of Jupiter to estimate the speed of light. Here's how he did it. The post You–Yes, You–Can Calculate the Speed of Light With Jupiter appeared first on WIRED...

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All the Volcanic Eruptions You Missed During the Super Bowl

A number of volcanoes around the world put on impressive shows over the weekend, including Santiaguito, Turrialba, and Soputan. The post All the Volcanic Eruptions You Missed During the Super Bowl appeared first on WIRED...

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