physics

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… 

Jul 20, 2011

The Dirt Whisperer

Physicist Karen Daniels is finding ways to help scientists and engineers see—and hear—the forces at play in the ground. 

Jul 11, 2011

Why Does Water Freeze Before Alcohol Does?

We recently explained that one reason wine’s freezing point is much lower than water’s is because of its alcohol content. But we didn’t explain why alcohol has a much lower freezing point than water. Let’s explain that now (hint: water molecules are “stickier.”) A substance freezes when its molecules become “stuck” in a fixed array… 

Jul 1, 2011

One Person Can Change The World: Or At Least What The World Is Made Of

In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president, World War II was in full swing, and a young man named Hans Conrad was embarking on a career as a materials science researcher. Sixty-eight years later, he is still showing up to the lab every day, publishing top-notch papers and trying to figure out the physical and… 

Jun 27, 2011

Rowe’s Contributions Recognized

Dr. John E. "Jack" Rowe, research professor in physics, has won an annual award for a scientist with a longstanding record of solving technological problems. 

Jun 23, 2011

Remembering an Atomic Age Pioneer

Dr. Raymond Murray, a professor emeritus who was involved in nuclear milestones from the Manhattan Project to the Three Mile Island recovery, has died.