Boost for Physics at UG

A donation of equipment worth US$40,000 from ExxonMobil has provided some welcome help to the Physics Department at th University of Guyana. Included in the equipment were a diode laser and telescopes. A report at DemeraraWaves said:

"This donation was made following a request after a fire in 2015 destroyed the section of the Faculty of Natural Sciences that houses the equipment for various departments. Among the items destroyed was equipment for the physics laboratory belonging to the Department of mathematics, Physics and Statistics, the Computer Science Department and the specimen collection and equipment from the Department of Biology.
At the handover ceremony Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said the initiative is one which highlights the determination of the department to reinvent itself and build new partnerships while doing so. “It matters; the investment that Exxon Mobil along with the university is making. It recognises the vital importance of rebuilding physics in a significant way – not only quad physics but physics because of its importance to the other enterprises of the university,” he said."

First plane propelled by ionic wind

MIT engineers have flown the first plane without moving parts, propelled by ionic wind. Batteries are used to create high voltages which are used to ionize air and use these ions to generate thrust. A report states:

This is the first-ever sustained flight of a plane with no moving parts in the propulsion system,” says Steven Barrett, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT.

“This has potentially opened new and unexplored possibilities for aircraft which are quieter, mechanically simpler, and do not emit combustion emissions.”
He expects that in the near-term, such ion wind propulsion systems could be used to fly less noisy drones. Further out, he envisions ion propulsion paired with more conventional combustion systems to create more fuel-efficient, hybrid passenger planes and other large aircraft.

This story has some interesting physics in it.

Combating climate change - the physics

There is considerable physics underpinning developments in this field. Identifying it and explaining it would be a good exercise for students...
For example these reports:
Climate change: Five cheap ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere (BBC)
Climate change: Low cost, low energy cooling system shows promise (BBC)

Liquefaction of solid bulk cargo

This article from The Conversation on problems caused by unexpected behaviour of granular materials  in a ship’s hold has some interesting physics behind it.

"Solid bulk cargoes – defined as granular materials loaded directly into a ship’s hold – can suddenly turn from a solid state into a liquid state, a process known as liquefaction. And this can be disastrous for any ship carrying them – and their crew." 

Ice on the Moon

India's moon orbiter Chandrayaan-1 has detected clear signals of water ice on the Moon hidden in dark corners of craters never reached by sunlight.

From this BBC report:

"Temperatures on the Moon can reach a searing 100C in daytime, which doesn't provide the best conditions for the survival of surface ice.
But because the Moon is tilted on its axis by about 1.54 degrees, there are places at the lunar poles that never see daylight.
Scientists estimate that temperatures in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's poles do not rise above -157C (-250F). This would create an environment where deposits of water-ice could remain stable for long periods."

Is this a physics story? It does contain some good physics. And I don't always come across a great physics story every month so it will suffice. I like to keep up this blog even though it has been a few years since I have taught physics! Month-end approaches and time is running out...

More podcasts

The Physics World Science Podcast is a good weekly podcast from Physics World magazine.

Weekly Space Hangout Audio is also good for up-to-date space news.

And finally there is the more advanced Physics Frontiers podcast for those really into Physics at the university or post-grad level.

Water is more than you think it is

Water molecules actually exist in two forms: ortho-water and para-water. This is not a new discovery but we now know more about these forms. An article at Science Daily explains:

Water molecules exist in two different forms with almost identical physical properties. For the first time, researchers have succeeded in separating the two forms to show that they can exhibit different chemical reactivities.

The article describes new details about the small differences in the chemical properties of these forms.

Amateur Astronomy Association of Guyana

This local group has recently become active complete with website and Facebook page. According to the website:

"AAAG has a wide range of planned activities: from camping trips under a dark sky retelling the story of our current scientific understanding of the universe, to guided night sky tours of celestial objects, and future events featuring education workshops and lectures in astronomy; we will offer a bit of everything for everyone."

Some good science podcasts

Here are a few I have listened to regularly for the past few years:

Science Hour (BBC) - "Science news and highlights of the week" - a weekly report of five or so good science stories.

Science in Action (BBC) - "...brings you all the week's science news" - shorter than the above, some overlap but good additional stories.

and a more recent find:

Astronomy Cast - More technical than those above, each episode has a theme. Good science plus astronomy updates.

These can easily be found using standard podcast apps.

Another star passes close to our solar system

Apparently some 70,000 years ago a small red star called Scholz's star passed close to our solar system. According to a report at Space.com:

 "... a red dwarf called Scholz's star apparently grazed the solar system 70,000 years ago, coming closer than 1 light-year to the sun.
...Scholz's star passed by the solar system at a time when early humans and Neanderthals shared the Earth. The star likely appeared as a faint reddish light to anyone looking up at the time..."

The research involved studying the orbits of objects on the edges of our solar system and working out how these orbits changed over the ages.

Top physics blogs

I came across this site which attempts to track the top physics blogs on a regular basis.
The top blog is listed as Physics World.

World record magnet

A new super-strong magnet has been made powered by superconducting coils as reported by PhyOrg:

The Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has shattered another world record with the testing of a 32-tesla magnet—33 percent stronger than what had previously been the world's strongest superconducting magnet used for research and more than 3,000 times stronger than a small refrigerator magnet.