Celebrating the physics of all that flows with Nicole Sharp, Ph.D.
- Profile
Chemistry in Infrared
Many chemical reactions, and the flows that accompany them, are invisible to the human eye. But in infrared wavelengths those same events are vibrant and energetic. In this video from the Beauty of Science group, various chemical reactions are shown in visible and IR wavelengths, revealing very different perspectives on the same thing. Many of…
Hairy Tongues Help Bats Drink
Nectar-drinking bats, honey possums, and honeybees all use hair-like protrusions on their tongues to help them drink. In bats, these papillae have blood vessels that swell when drinking, stiffening the hairs. To investigate this drinking mechanism, researchers built their own version of a bat tongue by fabricating hairy surfaces and testing how well they trapped…
When Friction Isn’t Enough
If you try to build a pyramid of dry glass beads, you’ll have a hard time of it. The frictional forces simply aren’t enough to hold the beads together against the force of gravity. If you add a little water, though, the story is different. The intermolecular forces inside water give it a lot of…
Skiing, Avalanches, and Freezing Bubbles
To wrap up our look at Olympic physics, we bring you a wintry mix of interviews with researchers, courtesy of JFM and FYFD. Learn about the research that helped French biathlete Martin Fourcade leave PyeongChang with 3 gold medals, the physics of avalanches, and how bubbles freeze. If you missed any of our previous Olympic…
PyeongChang 2018: Curling
Curling is a deceptively engrossing sport with some unique physics among Winter Olympic events. Athletes slide 19kg granite stones at a target 28 meters away. Along the way, teammates sweep the pebbled ice with brooms, melting it with frictional heating to help the stone slide further. The underside of the stones is concave, so they…
PyeongChang 2018: Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing, also known as Nordic skiing, is a part of many longstanding disciplines in the Winter Games. Unlike downhill skiing, cross-country events typically involve mass starts, which allow athletes to interact, using one another for pacing and tactics. Drafting can be a valuable method to save energy and reduce drag. A following skier sees…
PyeongChang 2018: Ice-Making
When it comes to winter sports, not all ice is created equal. Every discipline has its own standards for the ideal temperature and density of ice, which makes venue construction and maintenance a special challenge. Figure skating, for example, requires softer ice to cushion athletes’ landings, whereas short-track speed skating values dense, smooth ice for…
PyeongChang 2018: Bobsleigh
In bobsleigh, two- and four-person teams compete across four runs down an ice track. The shortest cumulative time wins, and since typical runs are separated by hundredths of a second, teams look for any advantage that helps them shave time. The size, weight, and components of a sled are restricted by federation rules; for example,…
PyeongChang 2018: Snow-Making
These days artificial snow-making is a standard practice for ski resorts, allowing them to jump-start the early part of the season. Snow guns continuously spray a mixture of cold water and particulates 5 or more meters in the air to generate artificial snow. The tiny droplet size helps the water freeze faster and the particles…
PyeongChang 2018: Speedskating
Four years ago in Sochi, Under Armour’s suits for the U.S. speedskating team took a lot of flak after the team failed to medal. The company defended the physics and engineering of their suits, and an internal audit of the speedskating program ultimately placed blame on flaws in their training regimen, unfamiliarity with the new…