physics

Apr 15, 2012

New X-ray Technique Reveals Structure of Printable Electronics

An innovative X-ray technique has given North Carolina State University researchers and their collaborators new insight into how organic polymers can be used in printable electronics such as transistors and solar cells. Their discoveries may lead to cheaper, more efficient printable electronic devices. Printable electronics are created by spraying or printing inks containing conductive organic… 

Mar 22, 2012

Reynolds Named Top Teacher

The winner of the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching knows how to make astrophysics accessible. 

Mar 9, 2012

Want to Win the NCAA Tournament? Learn Some Physics

It’s March Madness time again, and the fate of millions of NCAA Tournament fans – and bracket sheets – will live and die with gut-wrenching, soul-sapping, last-second three-point shots and rimmed-out free throws. How can a team increase its chances of winning the Big Dance? A sound knowledge of physics could be a start. For… 

Feb 23, 2012

Mechanism Behind Capacitor’s High-Speed Energy Storage Discovered

Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered the means by which a polymer known as PVDF enables capacitors to store and release large amounts of energy quickly. Their findings could lead to much more powerful and efficient electric cars. Capacitors are like batteries in that they store and release energy. However, capacitors use separated… 

Feb 7, 2012

The Science Of A Good Pour

I love writing about science. I also enjoy a good beer. I’ve decided to marry these two interests and write a series of posts about the science of beer. It’s not much of a stretch, since brewing is an intensely scientific art. I requested, and received, a lot of questions about the science of beer.… 

Feb 1, 2012

Consummate Teacher

Dr. Dick Patty continues to command the attention and respect of physics students 15 years after his official retirement. 

Jan 5, 2012

Physics Professor Honored

Physics professor John Thomas has won the Jesse W. Beams Award for significant and meritorious research. 

Dec 16, 2011

Trivial Pursuits: The Abstract’s 2011 Quiz

The Abstract staff will be taking off for a couple of weeks to prepare for 2012. In an attempt to amuse and entertain ourselves you, we’ve pulled together a quick quiz on some of the research we’ve written about over the past year. See how you do! Questions: 1). Until recently, researchers thought Greece was… 

Nov 22, 2011

How Does Faster-Than-Light Quantum Communication Work?

Every so often, I ask readers to submit their sci/tech questions, so that I can go pester people until I have some answers that I can share with the rest of the class. One  recent question was: “How does faster-than-light quantum communication work?” Short answer: it doesn’t. But of course there’s more to it than… 

Nov 11, 2011

Rethinking the college classroom

Bob Beichner, a professor of physics, is working to replace the traditional lecture at the center of the traditional American classroom. 

Oct 24, 2011

Supernova Solved

In 185 A.D., Chinese astronomers recorded a bright “guest star” in the night sky. By the 1960s, astronomers figured out that the guest star was in fact a supernova, and identified the remains of the stellar explosion. And in 2011, a team of astrophysicists led by NC State researchers solved the mystery of what caused this… 

Oct 24, 2011

Supernova Solved

Note: The following is mostly taken from a really nice article provided by the folks at NASA, so I can’t take credit for the writing here! In 185 A.D., Chinese astronomers recorded a bright “guest star” in the night sky. By the 1960s, astronomers figured out that the guest star was in fact a supernova,… 

Sep 22, 2011

Leaving lectures behind

A pair of NC State researchers is working to replace the traditional lecture at the center of the traditional American classroom. Bob Beichner, a professor of physics, and Lodge McCammon, a curriculum and contemporary media specialist, both favor activities that encouragement applying knowledge over absorbing it. 

Sep 22, 2011

Beichner Honored as Digital Education Pioneer

Physics professor Robert Beichner has been honored with a 2011 Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education for his contributions as a digital education pioneer. 

Sep 8, 2011

Boxing Up Sub-Atomic Particles

Let’s say you’re a nuclear physicist who – in your quest to learn more about the way the universe works – wants to learn more about the structure and angular momentum, or spin, of an atomic nucleus. However, you can’t just grab a nucleus and stick it under a microscope. What do you do? If…