Looking back at the Science of Santa’s Workshop

Two years ago, a team of researchers from NC State participated in a visiting scholars program at Santa’s Workshop-North Pole Labs (NPL). They learned a lot, and shared their findings with us in a series of posts from that frostbitten font of seasonal science.

Santa’s annual moment in the spotlight is coming up fast, so we thought we’d share those posts with you again. Here’s a brief description of each entry, and a link to all of their notes from the North. The author of each post was Dr. Larry Silverberg, an expert in unified field theory in NC State’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

In The Science of Santa’s List, Silverberg explains that a sophisticated signal processing system filters data from kids, giving Santa clues on who wants what, where children live, and even who has been bad or good.

The Science of Santa’s Sleigh covers many aspects of the jolly old elf’s mode of transport, from the advanced materials used in its construction to the technology it uses to ensure a smooth ride.

How Santa Gets Around addresses not only the secret of the flying reindeer (jetpacks), but Santa’s ability to bend space-time in order to deliver all of his presents in one night.

In his last post, Santa’s Bag of Toys, Silverberg discusses the reversible thermodynamic processor used to assemble toys from the most unlikely of materials. So that’s how he fits them all in!

Enjoy these insights into the workings of the NPL, and happy holidays!