The Physics of Smashing a Spacecraft Into an Asteroid
NASA will soon release the results of its DART mission to find out whether crashing a probe into a space rock can deflect it. Here’s how they'll do the math. ..
NASA will soon release the results of its DART mission to find out whether crashing a probe into a space rock can deflect it. Here’s how they'll do the math. ..
In What If? 2, Randall Munroe explains that evading gravity can reduce your mass—but let’s do the math to see how far you have to go. ..
If you want to attain high speeds without getting airborne, it helps to know a little something about friction. ..
Global warming is melting Earth’s glaciers, which is moving vast amounts of water—maybe enough to affect the planet’s rotation. ..
It takes a lot of energy to jump over cliffs and hurl rocks at the speed of sound—and that means eating at superhero capacity. ..
Lidar measures distance by bouncing light off of objects—but there’s more to how light travels in the first place. ..
It’s impossible to reduce gravity, but you can find some clever ways around it. ..
The Dark Knight has some pretty neat gear—but his gadget-enabled stunts require some juice. ..
The internet thinks it has discovered the secret to fuel-free perpetual motion. Physics knows better. ..
Without it, it would be impossible to inflate a balloon or a tire. But understanding how it works requires a little bit of physics and chemistry. ..